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VIEW

O F

SOCIETY AND MAl^NERS

FRANCE, SWITZERLAND,
AND GERMANY:

WITH

ANECDOTES relatbgto fome EMINENT CHARACTERS.

BY JOHN MOORE, M.D.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

Strenuanos exercet inertia : havlbusatque
Quadrig^s pecimus bene vivere* Quod petis, hlc eff*

Hon.

The SIXTH EDITION, Correaed.

LONDON:

Printed for A, Strahan ; and T. Cadsll, in the Strand,

MCCCLXXXVI.

ABVE rtiseme;nt.

FROM a difEdence of his own, abilities*
and from other motives not fo well
founded, the Author of the following Let-
ters thought it expedient, in the Firfl Edition^
to throw a flight veil over the real fituation
in which they were written: he imagined
ilfo, that by this means fome refledionst
particularly thofe on gaming, might be in-
troduced more naturally, and with a ftronger
eflfea. But having been aflured by thofe of
whofe friendihip and judgment he is equal-
ly convinced, that the aflumed charader
and feigned fituation in the two firfl letters
gave an air of fidion to the real incidents
in the refl of the work, -he has now reftored
thofe two letters to their original form%

y^ Puhlijhed,
Written by the fame Author,

A NEW EDITION of

A VIEW of SOCIETY and MANNERS
in ITALY: With Anecdotes relat-
ing to fome Eminent Characters^
a Vols. 8vo. Price 148.

to HIS GRACE

DOUGLAS,

Duke of HA^iiLtoN afid Brandon,
Marquis of Douglas, Sec.

My lord du^,

ALTHOUGH eftablifhed pra<aice
might> on this occafion* juftify
my holding a language to your Grace
Which I never before ufed, yet you
hsLVt nothing of that kind to fear ;
ihis as inconfiftent with my difpo-
fition to offer adulation* as it is con-
trary to yours to defire it.— Nor does
Vol. L a this

ii DEDICATION.

this addrefs proceed from a vain be-
lief that the luftre of your name will
difpofe the Public to wink at the ble-
mifhes of my performance. The
higheft titles do not fcreen even thofe
to whom they belong from contempt,
when their. perfiDjoal .qbarstdters are
contemptible; far lefs can they flielter
the 4uUiefs or foljl^y of ojtljcr'?,

I am prompted to offer this View of
Society and Manners to your Grace, by
fentiments of the moft fincere eileem
and attachment; and, exdufive of all
coaflderations of t^at natui^C* it M Pi'^'
fented with pecujiar prpprjiety Jto yoij,
as np other perfop has bad egu^^ppr
portunities of knowing hqw; ^ db^
obje(as it .conjpreheDds. ar^ juil, ap4
faithfully draiyp frpm natjwe. ••

DEDICATION. iii

Some perhaps may imagine, that I
ihould have difplayed more prudence
in offering this work to a lefs com-
petent judge; hut I am encouraged
in my defire of prefixing your Name
to thefe imperfeft £ketches, by the
fond perfuafion, that nobody can be
more inclined to afford them the in-
dulgence of which I am fenfible they
ftand in fo much need*

I have the honour to be, tvith the
moft refpeftf ul and cordial regard.

Your Grace's
Moft obedient^ and
obliged Servant^

THE AUTHOR.

tft

■fe

C ONTENTS

OF THE

FIRST VOLUME.

LETTER I. p: I.

- • I

LETTER H. p. 10.

Plamof C9ttdu& wbik abrMd^-— Agree to cor*
rf/j^d by letter,— Seroatttsr-'MaJleru

LETTER UI. p. i6,

jj^arjuis de F-^.— a/s/?^— C&tf r<»^^/,

«3

. I

vi C O N T E NT S.

LETTER IV. p. 24.

French manners. "'*

t EtTTvaR-.V. pi 3(U -

P<7r/j. — London. — French opinions. — M^r-
quis de F — ^-^ aiid tibrd M .

~- ^

Loya/fyj Eng/tjh, German^ Tvfrkijh^ French^
'^Le Roi. — Princes of the bloody— Ideas
of ^ernment^

I .f -^ • i

S^ntiminis gjT FNwJtl9ii^:doft(!^^

Frtnch Kltigs Jbaw peetdhr return: ^ h^
ibeir/ubje£is. — The three fons of Catherine

CONTENTS.

ef Medicis. — Henry IF.^Natural effeSJs
cf exertion andofjlotb on the body^ under ^
ftanding^ heart.

LETTER IX. p, 58.

'A French lover.

LETTER X. • p. 63.

Croundkfs accufatiom,'-'FriendJhip,'-^Eng'
up traveller i, ,

LETTER XL p. 71.

Englijb prejudices.'^CQnverfation mtb Mn

LETTER XIL p. 8o*

Tragedy of Siege of Caleds.^Bon mot of Due
^Ayen. — Ruffia. — Frujki, — France.^
'SMue of Lewis X^.^Efigram.

.*4

viii CONTENTS.

LETTER XIII. p. 89.

(^jevaUer B- — - and his hdj,^~-Madame de
ilf— — , her fbaraSieri^ber misfortune.

LETTER XIV. p. 96.

Condition of the common people in Trance. ^^
Unwillingnefs to cenfure the King^ — French
parliaments. ^— Lawyers indtjeriminately
ridiculed on the French Jla^e.-^Oppofition
in England^

I,ETTER XV. p. ic6..

Dubois and Fanchon.

LETTER XVI. p. u8.

Mankind do not always aSi from motives of
felf'intereji. — A fine gentleman and a pine^

apple.^Supper at the Marquis de F 's.

Generofity of Mr. B — Men wh$

calculate. '^Men who do not.

CONTENTS. ^

LETTER XVII. p. ia8.

Different tafte of French and Engtijh with
refpeS to tragedy.'— ^he Kain.—Garrick.^-^
French comedy. — Comedie Italienne^ Car^
lin. — RepartSe of Le Kain.

LETTER XVra. p. 140.

Fleafure and bufinefs. — Lyons.— Geneva^

LETTER XIX. p. 146.

Situfltion of . Geneva,— Manners. — Govern^
meni.^The clergy. — Peculiar cuftoms. —
Circle^. — Amufements.

LETTER XX. p. 157.

JSngliJh families at Cohgny.—Le jour de
l^fcalade.^'— Military eflahUJhment.^Fo*
litical fquabbks.^ Sentiments of an Eng*
lijhman^—Of a gentleman of Geneva.

LETTER 35X1; ,p3 r6&

King of Arquibu^ers* — A FroceJ^n,'-^jt
Battle,

LETTER lOaiv p. 174.

A Feaft,

LETTER XXIII. r- 179.

V^e garrifon and fortifications of Geneva not
ufekfiit — Standing armief in other coun^
tries. — Tb'e freedom and independence of
^en^a-tifjirviix^tp fbH King of jS^JU

'fHi94 ....

LETTER XXIV. p. iZ6.

Journey to tie Ofatiers (^ Bawy^^^Moie.-^
Cb^.r^Tb(h lUsime and the Jr^oe-^Salr
lencbe. ^-^^Mukt^ -^A dkrcitr^ Omverja^

' tkfp^ith a ymng peqfiini in tie valieji <^
Cb^mami,

M^ntanvert.^^Tie Chamois. '^^Momt. JBre^
^en.-^^Mont Blanc. — The Needle4. — The
Fallifpjf J^e.-T^'Ava4an6hes.

LETTER XXVI, p. a|i.

Account of Olaciefs cmtinueit—TheoTier.

... • f • - '

LETTER XXVIL p. 318,

Jdiotu^Tbtifentbiieitti. of ah- bid SMer.^
. ' Gfi0tfiehr*»ymrm^ from.. Cbamouni to the
Pays de FalIais,-^Martigr^» — Sioo^

Jtoadip Si. 'Maurice. -^Kef e^iofis ort thejiiua^
tion of the Pays de Valhis. — Bex.^*^Ji^le.

^-^St.^ Gingo.^^ Meillerie. — jB*i;/Vf/^ — -R^-
faitle.

9 ■

xlt CONTENTS;

LETTER XXIX. p.' H*?

Voltaire,

LETTER XXX. p. iSh

Voltaire,

LETTER XXXL p. 165.
The education proper for an Englijb gentkm
man,

LETTER XXXII. p. 279.
Suicide frequent at Geneva,— Two remark^
able injiances,

LETTER XXXra. p. 487,
The Pays 4e Vaud,^Laufannej—Froay,'mi

Ltuihtf,

LETTER XXXnr, p. 29S»

Mural,— Ifwiji peafants*

* \

CONTENTS. jtm

LETTER XXXV. p. 301,
jBertt, :,

LETTER XXXVI. p; 310.
Rtligion,-^Governmettt»— Troops,

LETTER XXXVn. p. 319.

Sokurre-^BafiL-' Judicious remark on tb0
' ufe of hm^M^e^ by a Dutchman,

LETTER XXXVKI. p. 325.

-Manner s*^RefleBi(ms on formality, -'■'The Li*
trary..^HpI6em»-^Ar/enal,.-^ouficil'iaJis
m-mTbe clock in the Tomer, -^ A beai.

LETTER XXXIX. p. %%$»

Marechal C9ntades,'r:;^Tbeatre*^-^r'^Frenck
troops.

*•»

I^IETTElt XL. p. 54^^ '

€htbic arcbiteSiure.— Cathedral of Strajkurf^
'^Afermon.—'A Jewijh pht.

« • 1

*- «. * I

LETTER XLL p, 35 1.

Karlfcrutcb'.--^e Margrave of Baden t)urm
ktcb.

LETTER XtlL. .0,360.

Manbeim,.^ Sbg ^Sior. — T^/ QntrU r- J
buffoon.

LETTER ^XLiy;^,. 370.

fiejkiiions on the liberty of the prefs.^^Com^
^ fu^ifons of ineonvenienciet drifing from

*\ that

that caufe^ witb th^e Jek under defpoti^
reftraint.

1 »

LETTER XLV. p. 37<J.
Mentz,

* LETTER XLVL p. 381.

Frankfort. '^Lutherans unkind to Cahimfii,
'—Ffdmody^'—BuriaU.-'Jews,

LETTER XLVn. p. 393.

Manners.^^DiJiin^ion of ranks. — Theatrical
entertainments.^^Tbe German language.-^
Traineaus.

LETTER XLVIII. p. 403.

IJobility and citizens. —'The revenge of a
'XtAaccmifirr^ejieU ofBergetf,

«vi CONTENTSL

LETTER XLIX. p. 41 a;

^Be Prince of Hejfe Darmffa^^.—Difcipline,
T'Jhe family of Frince George,

,- > V

A VIEW

IK^sJbdfts&i

<6X*X*X*X^X*X*X4X-«i:X*><*-^^

VIE W

O F

SOCIETY AND MANNERS

I N

France, Switzerland, and Germany.

LETTER I.

Paris.

^XX^ WAS greatly difappointed by your
l^_ _ /«l ^^t coming to town, as you in-

tended, having been for fome time
impatient to inform you of what paffed
between your young friend ■ ' ■ and me ;
I relied till the moment of our departure
on having an opportunity of doing this
perfonally. Since our arrival at Paris my
time has been taken up with certain ia-
Vol. I. B difpenfable

2 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

difpenfable arrangements for the Duke of
Hamilton, and I now feize the firft occa-
fion of communicating the whole to you, in
the only manner at prefent in my power.

You will remember the uneafinefs you
once exprefled to me on siccount of that
gentleman's propenfity to gaming, and of
the inconveniences to which he had been
put by fome recent lofles ; you will alfo
remember the refolutions which, in confe<»
quence of your requeft, he formed againft
play J but you have yet to learn, that he
refumed the dice before the month was
ended in which he had determined never
to toucli them more, and concluded one
unfortunate night, by throwing away a
fum far exceeding any of his former lofles.

Afhamed of his weaknefs, he carefully
concealed his misfortune from you, and
thereby has been fubjeded to fome diftrefles
of a more mortifying nature than any he
had formerly fdt.

What

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. |

' What (hocked him mod, was a circutn-*
fiance which will not ' greatly aftonifh
you— the indiflFcrence which many, who call
them&lves his friends, fhewed at his fitua*
tion, and the coldnefs with which they
excufed themfelves from making any at«
tempts to relieve him from his difficulties*
Several to whom he had advanced con«»
iiderable Aims in the days of his good for-
tune, declared a perfedl inability of repay-
ing any piEirt of their debt ; they told fome
fad tale of an unforefeen accident, which
had put that entirely out of their power
for the prefent ; yet one of thofe unfor-
tunate gentlemisn, the fame evening that
he refufed to repay our friend, loft double
the fum, every farthing of which he aftu-
ally paid in ready money.

Mr. — — 's expeftations from thofe re-
fources having in a great meafure failed^
he applied to Mr. P in the City, who

fupplied him with money, at legal intereft,
fufficient to clear all his debts, for which

B 2 h«

4 VIEW. OF SOCIETY. .AM.I>.

he has granted him a ^mortgage oti his

tftate.-^ While our youdg friend mfoamcd

me of all tfais> he declared, that the :n^

morfe he:felt on the recolledion of his folly

was infinitely greater than anyipteafure:he

had erer experienced frotti "winnihg) or

could enjoy from theutmoft fuccefs. He

expreffed, at the fame time, a ftcong fenfe

of obligation to you and to me, for our

endeaTOurs to wean him from the habit of

gaming, regretted that they had not been

feoner fuccefsful, but was happy to find»

fhat he ftill had enough left to enable him

to lire In a decent manner^ agreeabte to a

plan of trconomy nvhich he hafs kid down»

and to which he is r^folved to adhere till the

mortgage is relieved. " I have now (added

** he in a folemn manner) formed an ulti**

*Vmate refolutipn againft gaming for the reft

*' of my life ; if I ever deviate from this,

** you have a right toconfider me as devoid

•« of manly firmnefs and truth, unworthy

♦' of your friendfliip, and the weakeft df

'* mortals.**

Not-

MANNERS- IN FRANCE, *c. j

Noti?vithftanding the young geatleroan'g
failure on a former accafion, yet the juft
reflections he made on his paft condu£^, and
the detertoine-d manner in which he fpoke,
give me great hopes that he will keep his
prefent refolution. — To him I feemed fully
perfuaded of this, and ventured to fay,
that I could fcarcely regret his laft run of
bad luck, which had operated fo blefled aa
effe<!l ; for he who has the vigour to difenf
tangle himfelf from the fnares of deep play,
at rhe expence of half his fortune^ and
with his character entire, may on- the wholfc
be efteemed a fortunate man. I theiieforc

infifted ftrongly on the wiidomi of his plan,
which I cpntrafted with the ufual deter-
mination of thofe who have been^ unlucky
at play. Without fortitude to retrench their
expellees, or bear their firfl: misfortunes^
thay can only bring' themfelves the lengtl^
of r^folving to renounce gaming as foon as
tbey fiiatt regain what they bavt loft ;, and
imagining they have ftill a claim to the

B 3 money

6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

money which is now in the pockets o^
others, becaufe it was once in their own»
they throw away their whole fortune in
fearch of an inconfiderable part, and finifh
by being completely ruined, becaufe they
cbuld not fupport a fmall inconvenience. I
pointed out, how infinitely more honour-
able it was to depend for repairing his for-
tune on his own good fenfe and perfeve*-
ranee, than on the revolutions of chance ;
which, even if they fliould be favourable,
could only re-eftabli(h him at the expence
of others, moft probably of thofe who
had no hand in occafioning his lofles. His
infeparable companion -- — * — — entered
while I was in the middle of my harangue.
Oqr friend, who had previoqfly acquainted
him with his determination of renouncing
gaming, endeavoured to prevail on that
gentleman to adopt the fame meafure, but
in vain. > • -"-^ — laughed at his propofal,
faid, '^ he was too eafily terrified i that
*^ one tolerable run of good fortune would

6 ** retrieve

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 7

** retrieve his aflfairs ; that my fears about
^ ruin were mere bugbears ; that the word
« ruin, like cannon charged with powder,
*' had an alarming found, but was attended
•* with no danger ; that if the worft (hould
** happen, I could but be ruined ; which
^^ was only being in the fame fituation
^' with fome of the mod fafhionable people
^* in the nation.**

He then enumerated many inftances of
thofe who lived as well as the wealthieft
men in England, and yet every body pro-
nounced them ruined. ^^ There is Charley
*^ Fox, added he, a man completely ruined ;
*' yet beloved by his friends, and admired
•* by bis country as much as ever/*

To this fine reafoning I replied, ** That
♦* the lofs of fortune could not ruin Mr.
** Fo5P ; that if nobody had been influenced
^' by that gentleman's example, except
^^ thofe who poflfefled his genius, his turn
** for play would neyer have hurt one man
f* io the kingdom j but that thofe who

B 4 *' owed

J VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

'* owed their importance folely to their for-
" tune, ought not to riik it fo wantonly as
•• he might do, whofe fortune had always
** been of little importance, when com-
^* pared with his abilities; and fince they
could not imitate Mr. Fox in the things
for which he was fo juftly applauded,
^* they ought not to follow his example iti
" thofe for which he was as juftly coa-
^' demned ; for the fame fire, which burns a
•* piece of wood to aflbes, can only melt a
** guinea, which ftill retains its intrinfic
*' value, tbougb Ms Maje/ffs countenance m
** longer fl)ines on ii^

• •■ ■■ ■ ■ did not feem to relifh my ar-
gument, and foon after left lis ; but our
young friend feemed confirmed in his re-
folutions, and gave me frefh affurances, the

day on which I left London, that he never

would vary.

Knowing the intcreft you take in his wetr
fare, and the high efteem he has for you,
I have thought it right to give you this

piece

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 9

piece of information, which I know will
afford you pleafure. His gxeateft difficulty
in adhering to the new adopted plan will
be at firfl; in his prefent fiate of thind, the
Toothings and fupport of friendfhip may be
of the greateft fer vice.

When your affairs permit you to go to
London^ I dare fay you will take the earlieft
opportunity of throwing yourfelf in hi$
way : You will find no difficulty in perfuad-
ing him to accompany you to the country.
Removed for fomc months from his pre-
fent companions and ufual lounging-places,
the influence of his old habits will gra-
dually diminilh ; and^ confirmed by your .
converfation, fmall chance will remain of
his being fucked into the old fyftem, and
again whirled round in the vortex of diffi-
pation and gaming.

JO VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

LETTER II.

Paris.

VOUR fetting out for London imme-
diately on the receipt of my letter,
is what might have been expcded. — ^No-
thing renders a man fo adive as an eager
defire of doing good; and I might have
forefeen that you would catch at the op-
portunity with which I furnifhed you to
indulge a ruling pailioQ.

It gives me great fatisfadion to know»
that our young friend and you are upon
fuch a confidential footing ; and I heartily
hope that nothing will interrupt a connec-
tion which mull be a fource of pleafing re-
flexion to you, and in every way advan-
tageous to him. — I had no doubt that he
would readily agree to accompany you to the

country }

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. u

country; but I was not fo certain that he
might not have found it neceflfary to accept
of your other very friendly propofal. — His
refufal is a proof, that he has reconciled his
mind to his circumflances ; and, with thofe
fentimentSi I am convinced that he will be

■

able to live within his remaining yearly in-
come with more fatisfadion than he
enjoyed when he fpent five times that
fum.

You infift fo much on my writing to
you regularly, from the different placea
where I may refide during my abfence from
England,. that I begin to believe you are in
earneft, and (hall certainly obey your com-
mands.

I know you do not expeft from me a
minute account of churches and palaces*
However agreeable thefe may be to the
fpedator, they generally afford but a flen-
der enteriaiameat when ferved up in dc-
fcription»

There

^ VIEW OF SOCIETY ANQ

There are countriesi fome of which I
xnay again vifit before my return to Engv
land, whofc appearance always ilrikes the
eye with delight; but it i$ difiicalt to
conyey a precife idea of their beauties
in word«* The pencil is.a mor^ powerful
vehicle than the pen for that purpofe;
for the landfcape is apt tp vaniih from
the mind before the defcription can be
read*

The manners, cuftoms, and charaders
of the people may probably furniih the
chief materials in the correfpondeace
you exa<0:) with inch refledions as -may
^ife from th^ fubjed* In thefe, I ap«
prife you before-hand, I fliall take what
latitude I pleafe: And though, the com-
plexion <^ my letters may moft probably
jreceive fome tint or fhade of jcolourioi^
from tfce ^country whexe they may be
wrote; yet if I take it into .my head to
infifl on the little tricks of an attorjiey,
when you expeft to hear of the politics

MANNIRS IK FRANCE, fcc. ij

oF a prime minifter; or, if I tell you a
tale about an old woman, when you are
impatient for anecdotes of a great general,
you muft not fret or fall into a pafllon (
for if you do not permit me to write
on what fubjeds I pleafe, and treat them
in my own way, the correfpondencc
you require would become a fad flavery to
me, and of confequence no amufement to
you. Whereas, if you leave me free
and unreftrained, it will at lead form
fome occupation to myfelf, may wean
me from the habit of lounging, and will
aiFord an excufe, in my own mind, for
my leaving thofe parties of pleafure
where people are apt to continue, for^-
cing finiles, and yawning fpontancoufly for
two or three hours after all relifh is fled.

. Yet io this difmal condition many re*
main night after night, becaufe the hour of
fleep is not yet arrived ;-r-and what elfc caa
they do ?

Have

14 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Have you never found yourfelf in this
liftlefs fituation? Without any pleafure
where you are, without any motive to be
gone^ you remain in a kind of paffive^
gaping oyfter-ftate, till the tide of the
company moves you to your carriage.
And when you recover your refledion in
your bed-chamber, you find you have
paiTed the two lad hours in a kind of hum-
ming buzzing ftupor, without fatisfadion^
or ideas of any kind.

T thank you for your offer of Dupont.
Knowing your regard for him, and his
dexterity and intelligence in the fcience
of yalet-de-chambrefhip, I fee the full
force of the facrifice you are willing to
make. If I could be fo felfifh on ano-
ther occafion as to accept your offer, the
good-will I bear to your old friiend John
would prevent me at prefent. Dupont,
to be fare, is worth twenty of John for
that employment; but I can never forget

his

WANNERS IN FRANCE,. &c,- if

his long attachment, and I am now fo
Ibabituated to him^ that one generally
efteemed a more perfe^ fervant would
not fuit me fo well. . I thmk myfelf
benefited even by his deficiencies, which
have obliged me to do many things for
myfelf that other people perform by the
hands of their fervants. Many of our ac-
quaintances feem abfolutely incapable of
motion, till they have been wound up by
their valets. They have no more, ufe of
their hands for any office about their own
perfons, than if they were paralytic. At
night they muft wait for their fervants, be-
fore they can undrefs themfelves, and go
to bed : In the morning, if the valet hap-
pen to be out of the way, the matter muft
remain helplefs and fprawling in bed, like
a turtle on its back upon the kitchen^table
of an alderman.

I remain, &c.

U VIEW OF SOCIETY ANfl|

LETT JIR in.

T Went a few nights fince to the Italian
Comedy; while I enjoyed the exquifite
ndiveti of my old friend Carlin, the Mar-
quis de F ■, whom you have feen at
London, entered the box: — H6 flew to me
with all the vivacity of a Frenchman, and
with every mark of pleafure and regard.
He had ten thoufand quefiions to afk
about his friends in England all in one
breath, and without waiting for an anfwer.
Mon cher ami this, ma chere amie t'other;
la belle fuch a one, la charmante fuch
another.

Perceiving we difturbed the company,
and having no hopes that the Marquis
would be more quiet for fome time, I pro«

S pofed

MANKEflS tN FRANCE^ H ij

pofcd kaving the Comedy. He aflented
immediately: — ^Vous avez raifoti: il n'y
a perfotine id; c'eft ua defert— (by the
way, the houfe was very much crowded)—*
Je fuis venu com me vous voyez ea po-
liflbn; — tout le monde eft au Colifee—
Allons. — We ftepped into his vis-a-vis:
He ordered the coachman to drive vjte
comme tous les diables. The horfes went
as faft as they could, and the Marquises
tongue ftill fafter than they.

When we arrived^ I propofed going up
to the gallefy, where we might fee the
Company below, and converfe without in-
terruption* Bon, fays he, nous nous
nicherons dans un coin pour critiquer
lout le monde, comme deux diables boi-
teux.

A lady of a fine fhape and majeftic air
drew my attention : I afked the Marquis
if he did not think her remarkably hand-
fome? — L^, la, faid he, coldly. — Nous
fommes heureufement places pour elle.

Vol. I. C C»eft

. !•

i8 VIEW OP SOCIETY AND

C'eft un tableau fait pour etre vu de loid«
—I then took notice of the exceffive white-
nefs of her ikin, ' Ceft apparemment le
gout de fon amant d'aujourd'hui^ faid he;
et quand un autre fe prefenteroit qui prefe-
reroit la couleur de puce, k Talde d'un peu
d*eau chaude^ elle feroit aufli fon affaire.

I next remarked two ladies drefled a
little beyond the extravagance of the
mode. Their features betrayed the ap-
proach of fifty, in fpite of all the art which
had evidently been ufed to conceal that
hated age.

At fight of them the Marquis ftarted up.
Ah! parblieuy faid he, ces deux mor-
ceaux d antiquite font de mes parentes.— «
Excufez moi pour deux minutes: il faut
que je iji'approche d'elles, pour les fell-
citer de leurs appas. Old ladiesi conti-
nued he,, who have the rage to be thought
young, are of all animals the moft vin-
didive when negleded, and I have par*-
ticular reafons for wifhing to remain ia J

their

Manners in France, &c. t^

their good graces. He then left me, and
having walked round the circle with the
ladies> returned and took his feat. I have
got myfelf well out of the fcrape, faid he;
I told them I was engaged with a Milord^
whom I fliould have the honour of pre-
fenting at their houfe, and I fixed a young
officer with them, whofe beft hopes of pro-
motion depend upon their influence at
court) and who dares as foon quit his co-
lours in battle, as forfake thefe two pieces
of old tapeftry till they chufe to retire*

A young man very magnificently drefled
entered the room: He announced his im-
portance by his airs, his bmftle, the loud
and decifive tone of his voice* The Mar-
quis told me, it was Monf. le t)uc de ;
that it was indifpenfably neceflary that I
fhould be prefented to him j there was no
living at Paris without that advantage^
adding, — tl eft un peu fat, infiniment bete
d^ailleurs le meilleur enfant du monde.

C 3 A fine

20 VIEW OJ" SOCIttY AND

A fine lady next appeared iT^^ho feemed
lb command the admiration df the whole
aflembly. She floated round the circle bf
the Colifee, furrounded by a clufter of
Petits Maitres, whofe eyes were fixed on
Her, and who feemed moved by her motion,
like fatellites under the influence of their
planet. She, on her part, was perfedly
ferene, and unembarrafled by the attention
and the eyes of the fpedators. She fmiled
to one, nodded to another, (hrugged to a
third, ftruck a fourth with her fan, burft
into a fit of laughter to a fifth, and whif-
pered in the ear of a fixth. All thefe, and a
thoufand tricks more, Ihe ran through with
the eafe of an adrefs and the rapidity of a
juggler. She feemed fully perfuaded that
flie was the only perfon prefent worthy of
attention ; that it belonged to her to deve-
lop her charms, difplay her graces and
airs, and that it was the part of the reft of
the company to remain attentive and ad-
miring fpe^tators.

Cettc

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c, ?9

Cette droleiTe l^, faid the MarquiS)
eft jolie, et pour cette raifon on croit
qu'elle a de I'efprit: On a meme tache de
repeter fes bons mots; mais ils ne font faits
que pour fa bouche. £lle eft beaucoup
plus vatne que fenfible, grand foutien pour
fa vertu ! au refte^ elljs eft dame de qualite^
a la faveur de quoi ell? poflede un gout
de hardiefte fi heureux, qu'elle jouit du
benefice de TefFronterie fans etre efFron-
tee.

I was furprifed to find all this fatire di--
reded againft fo beautiful a woman, anfl
fufpe<3:ed that the edge of F— ~'s re-
marks was fharpened by fome refent pique.
I was going to rally him on that fupppfition,
when he fuddenly ftarted up, faying^ Voili

Mon£. de -— , le meilleur de mes.amis.-^
U eft aimable; on ne pent pas plus.***--!] a
de 1 efprit comme un demon.— U faut que
vous le connoiftiez. Allons : — Defcendons.
So faying) he hurried me down ftairs, pre-

ieated me to Moof. de -— • as un philofophe

Q 3 Anglois,

2t VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Anglois, who underftood race-horfes better
than the great Newtbn himfelf, and who

had no averfion to the game of Whift,

Monf. de received me with open arms,

and we were intimate friends in ten mi-
nutes. He carried the Marquis and me to
fup at his houfe, where he found a nu-
merous company.

The converfation was cheerful and ani-
mated. There were fome very ingenious
men prefent, with an admirable mixture of
agreeable women, who remained to the
laft, and joined in the converfation even
when it turned on fubje<a:s of literature;
upon which occafions Englifh ladies gene-
rally imagine it becomes them to remain
filent. But here they took their fhare
without fcruple.or hefitation. Thofe who
underftood any thing of the fubje(3: deli-
vered their fentiments with great precifion,
and more grace than the men; thofe who
knew nothing of the matter rallied their
own ignorance irrfuch a fprightly manner,

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 23

as convinced every body, that knowledge
18 not neceflary to render a woman exceed-^
ingly agreeable in fociety.

After paffing a moft delightful evenings
I returned to my lodgings, my head ua-
difturbed with wine, and my fpirits ua-
jaded by play*

84 VIEW OF SOCIETY AN©

It E T T E R IV,

Paris*

\\T E liave been a month at Paris ; a
longer time than was intended at our
arrival : yet our departure appears to me
at a greater diftance now than it did then*

F— — has been my moft conftant com-
panion; he is univerfally liked, lives in
the very beft company, and whoever i& in-»
troduced by him is fute of a favourable re-
ception. I found little or no difficulty ia
cxcufing myfelf from play. The Marquis
undertook to make this matter eafy; and
nothing can be a greater proof of his in-
fluence in fome of the moft fafliionable
circles, than his being able to introduce a
man without a title, and who never games.

He is alfo intimately acquainted with
fome of the moft eminent men of letters^
to whom he has made mc known. Many

MANNERS IN FRANCE, Uc^ as

of thofc, whofe works you admire, are re-
ceived at the houfes of the firft nobility on
the moft liberal footing.

You can fcarcely believe the influence
vhich this body of men have innhe gay
and diffipated city of Paris. Their opinions
not only determine the merit of works erf
tafte and fcience, but they have confider^
able weight on the manners and fenHments
gf people of rank, of the public In general,
-Und confequently are not without effect on
the meafures of government.

The fame thing takes place in fome de-
gree in moft countries of Europe ; but, if
I am not miftaken, more at Paris than any
where elfe ; becaufe men of letters are hei?e
fit once united to each other by the various
academies, and difFufed among private fo-.
cieties, by the manners 4nd general tafte of
the nation.

As the fentiments and converfation of
men of letters influence, to a certain de-
gree, the ppiaion? and the condufl: of the
6 fafbionable

a6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND'

fafhionable world ; the manners of thefe
laft have a more obvious efFeQ: upon the
air, the behaviour, and the converfation of
the former, which in geners^l is polite and
cafyi equally purified from the awkward
timidity contrai^ed in retirement, and the

difguiling arrogance infpired by univerfity
honours, or church dignities. At Parisj
the pedants, of Moliere are to befeeaou
the ftage only*

In this country, at prefent> there afb
many men diftinguifhed by their learnings
who at the fame time are cheerful and 6afy
in mixed company, unprefuming in argu-
ment, and in every refpe£t as well bred as
thofe who have no other pretenfion,

Politenefs and good manners, indeed,
may be traced, though in different propor-
tions, through every rank, from the great-
eft of the nobility to the loweft mechanic.
This forms a more remarkable and diftin-
guiChing feature in the French national
charafter, than the vivacity, impetuofity,

and

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. tj

and ficklenefs, for which the ancient as well
as the modern inhabitants of this country
have been noted* — It certainly is a very

lingular phsenomenon,that politenefs, which
in every other country is confined to people
of a certain rank in life, fhould here per-
vade every fituation and profeffion. The
man in power is courteous to his dependant,
the profperous to the unfortunate, the very
beggar who foUcits charity, does it * en
• homme comme il faut;' and if his requeft
be not granted, he is fure, at leaft, that it
will be refufed with an appearance of hu-
manity, and not with harfhnefs or infult.

A ftranger, quite new and unvcrfed in
their language, whofe accent is uncouth
and ridiculous in the ears of the French,
and who can fcarcely open his mouth
without making a blunder in grammar or
idiom, is heard with the moft ferious at-
tention, and never laughed at, even when
he utters the oddeft. folecifm or equivocal
f?cprefliQq.

lam

^8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

I am afraid, faid I, yefterday, to a French
geotleman, the phrafe which I ufed juft
now is not French. Monfieur, replied he,
cett€ exprefBoa efFedivement neft pas
Fran^oife, mals elle merite bien de letre.

The mod dariog deviation from fafhion,
in the important article of drefs, cannot
make them forget the laws of good*breed-
ing. When a perfon appears at the public

walkSf in clothes made againft every law
of the modcy upon which the French are
fuppofed to lay fuch ftreCs, they do not *
gaze or fneer at him ; they allow him firft
to pafs, as it were, unobferved, and do not
till th^n turn i;oDnd to indulge the curio^
lily which his uncommon figure may have
excited. I have remarked this inftance pf
delicacy often in the ftreets in the loweft
of the vulgar, or rather of the common
people; for there are really very few q€
the natives of Paris, who can be called
vjulgar.

There

Manners in france, &c. it

There are exceptions to thefe, as to all
general remarks on the manners and cha«

rafter of any nation*

I have heard inftances of the military
treating poftillions and inn-keepers with
injuftice ; and the feigneur or intendant
oppreffing the peafant. Examples of the
abufe of power, and infolence of office, are
to be met with every where. If they arc
tolerated, the fault lies in the government.

I have not been fpeaking of the French
government. Their national charader is
one thing ; the nature of their government
\fi a very different matter. But I am con-
vinced there is no country in Europe where
royal favour, high birth, and the military
profeifion, could be allowed fuch privileges
as they have in France, and where there
would be fo few inftances of their pro-
ducing rough and brutal behaviour to in*
feriox;s.

30 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

LETTER V.

Paris^

A Candid Englifliman, of whatever rank
in life he may be, mull fee with in-
dignation, that every thing in this kingdom
is arranged for the accommodation of the
rich and the povverful ;' and that little or
no regard is paid to the comfort of citizens
of an inferior ftation. This appears in a
thoufand inftances, and ftrikes the eye im-»
mediately on entering Paris.

I think I have feen it fomewhere re-
marked, that the regular and efFedual man-*
ner in which the city of London is lighted
at night, and the raifed pavements on the
fides of every ftreet,for the fecurity and con-
veniency of foot paflengers, feem to indi*
cate, that the body of the people, as well as
the rich and great, are counted of fomc
importance ia the eye of government.

Whereas

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 31

Whereas Paris is poorly and partially light-
ed; and except on the Pont Neuf and Pont
Royal, and the keys between them, is not
provided with foot-ways for the accom*^
modation and fafety of thofe who cannot
aflFord carriages. They muft therefore
grope their way as they beft can, and
ikulk behind pillars, ,or run into fhops,
to avoid being cruftied by the coaches,
which are driven as near the wall as the
coachman pleafes ; difperfing the people
on foot at their approach, like chaflF before
the wind.

It muft be acknowledged, that monarchy
(for the French do not love to hear it called
defpotifm, and it is needlefs to quarrel v/ith
them about a word) is raifed in this coun-
try fo very high, that it quite lofes fight of
the bulk of the nation, and pays attention
only to 3r few, who, being in exalted ftations,
come within the Court's fphere of vifion, ^

Le peuple, in France, is a term of re-
proach. — Un homme du peuple, implies

a want

!l^

^ VIEW op SOCiETV AI^D

a want of both education and manner^*
Un homme com me il fatit, on the othef
hand, does not imply a man of fenfe ot
principle, but fimply a, man of birth or
fafhion; for a man may be homme comme
il faut, and yet be devoid of every qua-
lity which adorns human nature. There
is no queftion that government leaves the
middle and inferior rants of Ijfe in fomS
degree unprotefted, and expofed to the ih-
juftice and Infolence of the great ; who are
confidered in this country, as fomewhat
above the Law, though greatly below th6
Monarch.

But the poHflied mildnefs of French
manners^ the gay and fociable turn of the
nation, the aflFable and eafy conduf): of
jnafters to their fervants, fupply the defi-
ciencies, and correct the errors, of the
government, and render the condition of
the common people in France, but par*-
ticularly at Paris, better than in feveral
other countries of Europe; and much more

tolerable

^lAhTNERS m FRANCE, &c. H

tolerable than it would be, if the national
chariider refembled that of thofe countries.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ #

I was interrupted by Lord M. who at-
Hved laft night; He agreed to dine with
us. F ■ called foon after: he was

idifengaged alfd> and promifed to be of the
party.

Yoii know how laborious a thing it is to
keep alive a dialogue with my Lord M.
The converfation dther degenerates into a
foliloquy oh your part, or expires altoge*"
ther. I was therefore exceedingly happy
with the thoughts of the Marquis's com*
pany. Hie was uhcdmmonly lively ; ad-
drefled much of his converfation to his
Lordfhip; tried him upon every fubjedl,
tvine> women, horfes, politics, and religion,
lie then fung Chanfons a boire, and en*
deavoured in vain to get my Lord to joia
in the chorus. Nothing would do.— -He
admired his clothes, praifed his dog, and
Vol. L D faid

34 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

faid a thoufand obliging things of the Eng-
li(h nation. To no purpofe; his Lordlhip
kept up his filence and referve to the laft,
and then drove away to the opera.

Ma foiy faid the Marquis, as foon as he
went out of the room, il a de grands talens
pour le filence, ce Milord la.

Manners in fraNce, &c. 35

LETTER VL

Paris k

TN a former letter, I mentioned good
breeding, as a ftriking part of the French
national charader. Loyalty, or an uncom-
mon fondnefs for> and attachment to, the
perfons of their princes, is another.

An Engliihman, though he views the
virtues of his king with a jealous eye during
his reign, yet he will do them all juftice
in the reign of his fucceflbn

A German, while he is filent with re*
fpedt to the foibles of his prince, admires
all his talents, much more than he would
the fame qualities in any other perfon*

A Turk, or Perfian, contemplates his
Emperor with fear and reverence, as a fu-
perior being, to whofe pleafure it is his duty

D i? to

36 VIEW OF SOClEtY AND

to fubmit, as to the laws of Nature, afidi
the will of Providence.

Btit a Frenchman while he knows that
his king is of the fame nature, and liablef
to all the ttreaknfeffes of other men ; while
he enumerates his follies, and laughs as he
laments them, is neverthelefs attached to
him by a fentiment of equal fefpeit and
tendernefs ; a kind of afFedibnate prejudice,
independent of his real charader.

Roi * is a Word which conveys to the
minds of Frenchmen the ideas of bene*
volence, gratitude, and love; as will as
thofe of power, grandeur, and happirtefs.

They flock to Verfailles 6very Sunday,
behold him with unfated ciiriofity, and
gaze on him with as much f^tisfaftion the
twentieth time as the firfl^

They confider him as their friend, tfiotigH

he does not know their perfons j as their

* We tranflate \t Roi, by * the King,* which is by no
means equivalent. Le Roi does himfelf, and makes others
do, what he pleafes. The King cannot do what hepleafes»
but does what others pleafe,

prote(3:or,

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 37

protestor, though their greateft danger is
from an Exempt or Lettre de Cachet ; and
as their beuefador, while they are opprefTed
with taxes.

They magnify into importance his moft
indifferent adions ; they palliate and excufe
all his weakneffes ; and they impute his
errors or crimes, to his minlfters or other
evil counfellors ; who (as they fondly affert)
have, for fome bafe purpofe, impofed upon
his judgment, and perverted the undeviat-
ing reditude of his indentions.

They repeat, with fond applaufe, every
faying of his which feems to indicate the
fmalleft approach to wit, or even bear^ the
mark of ordinary fagacity.

The moft inconftderable circumftance
which relates to the Monarch is of import-
ance : whether he eat much or little at din-
ner ; the coat he wears, the horfe on which
he rides, all afford matter of converfatiori
in the various focieties at Paris, and are the
moft agreeable fubje£ts of epiftolary cor-

P 3 refpondeqce

3S VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

refpondence with their friends in the pro^

vinces.

If he happens to be a little indifpofed,
all Paris, all France, is alarmied, as if a.
real calamity was threatened ; and to feem
interefted, and to converfe upon any other
fubjed till this has been difcufled, would
be confidered as a proof of unpardonablp
indifference.

At a review, the troops perform their
manoeuvres unheeded byjfuch of the fpec-*
tators as are within fight of the King.-
They are all engroffed in contemplation of
the Prince.- — 'Avez-vou^ vu le roi?— —

Tenez-^ah! — voila le roi-— Lc roi rit.--*
Apparemment il eft content. — Jefuischar-

me, — ah, il • touffe !— A-t-il touffe ?- .

Oui, parbleu ! et bien fort, — Je fuis au
defefpoir.

Atmafs, it is the King, not the^Prieft,
who is the objed of attention. The Hoft
is elevated j but the people's eyes rejpaaia

MAN'NERS IN FRANCE, &c. 39

fixed upoti the face of their beloved Mo- '
narch,

Even the moft applauded pieces of the
theatre, which in Paris create more emo-
tion than the ceremonies of religion, can
with difliiculty divide their attention. A
ffaiile from the King makes them forget the
ibrrow of Andromache, and the wrongs of
the Cid.

This excefEve attachment is not confined
to the perfon of the Monarch, but extends
to every branch of the royal family ; all of
whom, it is imagined in this country, have
an hereditary right to every gratification and
enjoyment that human nature is capable
of receiving. And if any caufe, moral or
phyficali impede or obftrudl this, they meet
with unlverfal fympathy. The moft trivial
difappointment or chagrin which befals
them, is confidered as more ferious and
aflFeding, than the mod dreadful calamity,
which can happen to a private family. It
is lamented as if the natural order of things

D 4 were

4© VIEW OF SOCIETY AND.

were countcradtedj and the amiable Priacci
or Princefs, deprived, by a cruel phaeno.-;
inenon, of that fupreme degree of happi-
nefs, to which their rank in life give§ th^enji^
an undeniable title. :

All this regard feems real, and not af^^r
feGed from any motive of intereft -, at lead;
it muft be fo with refpe£t to the bulk of
the people, who can have no hopes of ever
■ being known to their princes, far Icfs^
of ever receiving any perfonal favo\ir froir^
them.

■

The philofophical idea, that Kings have
been appointed for public conveniency;
that th^ey are accountable to their fubje£ls.
for mal-adminiftration, or for continued
zQlS of injuftice and oppref&on ; is a doc-
trine very oppofite to the general prej\idicea
of this nation. If any of their kings were
to behave in fuch an imprudept and outra-*
geous manner as to occafion a revolt, and
if the infurgents actually got the better, I
queftion if they would think of ncw-mor

I^ANNERS IN FRANCE, &c, ^|

delling^ the government^ and limiting the
power of the crown, as was done in Britaia
9t the Revolution, foas to prevent the like
abufes for the future. They never would
^hink of going further, I imagine, than
placing another prinqe of the Bourbon .
family qrithe ^hrone, ^ith the fame power
that his predeceffbr had, and then quietly
lay down their arms, fatisfied with his
^-oyal word or declaration to govern with
xnore equity.

The French feem fo delighted and
dawled with the luftre of Monarchy, that
they cannot bear the thoughts of any qua-?»
lifying mixture, which might abate its vio-
lence, and render its ardoUr more benign.
They chufe to give the fplendid machine
full play, though it often fcorches an4

threatens to confume themfelves and their

I ■ • • •

cflfcds.

They confider the power of the king^
from which their fervitude proceeds, as
if it wer^ their qwn power. You will

hardly

4« VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

hat^dly believe it; but Iiam forb of the
fa6t ; They ar6 proud of it ; they -are proud
that there is no check or limitation to his
authority.

Thc}^ tell you with exultation, that the
king has an army of near two hundred
thoufand men in the time of peace. A
Frenchman is as vain of the palaces, fine
gardens, number of horfes, and all the pa-
rapharnalia belonging to the. court of the'
^<ionarch, as an Englifliman can be of his*
own houfe, gardens, and equipage.

When they are told of the difFufion of
^wealth in Eti'gland, the immenfe fortunes
made by many individuals, the affluence of
thofe of middle rank, the fecurity and eafy
fituation of the common people; inftead
•cf being mortified by the comparifon which
might naturally occur to their imaginations,
they comfort themfelves with the refledion,
that the court of France is more brilliant
than the. court of Great Britain, and that
the Duke of Orleans and the Prince of

Conde

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 43

Conde have greater revenues than any of
the Englifh nobility.

When they hear of the freedom of de*
bate in parliament, of the liberties taken
in writing or fpeaking of the condudt of
the king, or meafures of government, and
the forms to be obferved, before thofe who
venture on .the mpH daring abufe of either .
can be brought to punifliment, they feeni
filled with indignation, and fay with an air
pf triumph, C*eft bien autrement chez
nous : Si le Roi de France avoit affaire i cc%
Meilieurs la, il leur apprendroit a vivre.
And then they would proceed to inform
yoUi that, parbleu ! their minifter would
give himfclf no trouble about forms or
proofs ; that fufpicion was fufficient for him,
and without more ado he would fliut up fuch
impertinent people in the Baftille for many

years. And then raifing their voices, as if
what they faid were a proof of the courago
or magnaaimity of the minifter — Ou peut-
etre il feroit cpndamner ces droles la aux
galeres pour la vie. -

^ VIEW OF SOCIETY ANQ

LETTER VII,

TT would be almoft fuperfluous to obferve^
that there are a great many people in,
France, who think in a very different man-
ner from that which I have mentioned in
my laftj and who have jufl: and liberal ideas
of the defign and nature of government,
and proper and manly fentiments of thena--
tural rights of mankind, The writings of
Montefquieu are greatly admired: This
alone is fufficient to prove it. Many later
authors, and the converfation of the philo-
fophical and reafoning people, difplay the
fame fpirit.

What is mentioned in my lafl letter,
however, comprehends the general turn
or manner of thinking of the French na-
tion,

I
I

MANNERS IN FRANCE, Sec. 4^

tibn, and evinces how very oppofite their
fentimenta upon the fubjeft of civil govern-
xnent are^ to thofe of our countrymen.

I have heard an Englifhman enumerate
the advantages of the Britifh conflitution
to a circle of French Bourgeois, and explain .
to them in what manner the people of
their rank of life were proteded from the
infolence of the courtiers and nobility ; that
the pooreft fhop-keeper, and loweft tradef-
man in England, could have immediate
rcdrefs for any injury done him by the
greateft nobleman in the kingdom.

Well, what imprefficfn do you think this
declamation had upon the French auditory ?
You will naturally imagine they would ad-
mire fuqh a conflitution, and wifh for the
fame in France:— Not at all. Theyfym-
pathized with the great: They feemed to
feel for. their want of importance. One
obfervedi C'eft peu de chofe d etre nobltf

chez

46 VlfiW OF SOCIErY AND

chez vous: and another, fliaking Ikis head#
added, Ge n'eft pas haturel put cela.

When mention was made that the king"
of Great Britain could not impofe a tax by
his own authority 5. that theconfent of par-*
liament, particularly of the houfc of com-
mons, was neceffary, to which aflbmbly
people of their rank of life were admitted;
they faid with fome degree of fatisfadtion,
Cependant, c'eft affez beau cela. But
when the Englifli patriot, expecting- tfieir
complete approbation^ continued informing
them, that the king himfelf had not the
power to encroach upon the liberty of the
meanefl: of his fubjedts ; that if he or the
minifter did, damages were recoverable ac
a court of law, a loud and prolonged
PI ABLE iffued from every mouth. They
forgot their own fituation, and the fecurity
of the people, and turned to their natural
bias of fympathy with the King, v^ho they

, all

Manners in fraj^ce, kc. 47

all feemed to think muft be the moft op-
preffed andinjured of mankind.

One of them at laft, addrefJing himfelf
to the Englifli politician, faid, Tout ce
que je puis vous dire, Monfieur, c'eft que
yotrepauvre Roi.eft bien a;pl?iindre.

This folicitude of theirs for the happi-
nefs and glory of royalty extends in fomc
degree to all crowned heads whatever: But
with regard to their own .monajrch, it feems
the reigning and darling paffion of their
fouls, which they carry with them to the
grave.

A French foldier^ who lay covered with
wounds on the field of Dettingea, demand-
ed, a little before he expired, of an Engliflx
oflScer, how the battle was likely. to termi-
nate; and being anfwered, that the Britifh
troops had obtained a great vidory ; Mon
p^uvre Roi, faid the dying man, que feira-

t^il ?

. For my part, my friend, although I

heartily wifh his Majefty all public anddo-»

: . . S meftic

i^i Vl£W OP SdfclfiTY ANl3

meftic happineft, yet if thie fihklieft fplici-
tude about either fhould difturb my dying,
moments, it \«rill bfe the ftrohgeft proof
that my owti affairs, fpiritual and temporal j
your concerns, as well as thofe of my other
private friends, are in a mod eomfortablei
lituatiom

AdieU;

P. 5. I iiave hot feen ttie Marquis for
feveral days. He had informed me, at
our very fiirft meeting, that he was paying
bis court to a young lady of family, at his
mother's defire, who was impatient to fee
him married. He faid^ he could refufe
his mother nothing, parcequ'elle e^oit lei
meilleur enfant du monde: Befides, he
faid, the young lady was very pretty and
agreeable, and he was over head and earai
in love with her. He has told me fince,
that every thing was arranged, and he
expected to be in a fhort timq the happiefl
man in the world, and would have the

honour

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &^. 49

honour of prefenting me to his bride very
fooQ. I (hall let you know my opinion of
the lady when I fee her— But let her be
what fhe will, 1 am forry that F
thinks of niarrying fd early in life ; for a
Frenchman of five<*and-*twenty> is not quite
fo fedate an animal as an Englifhman of
fifteen.

Vol. I. E

so VIEW QE SOCIETY AN1>=

LETTER VIIL

Pans.

TTHERE is an abfolute penury o£ pub-?
lie news. I have nothing particular
to inform you of concerning myfelf; but
you hold me to my engagement : So here
I am feated to write to you, and fliall re*,
fume the fubje£l of my laft letter, in hopes^
however, that my pen may gather ma-
terials as it moves.

In whatever light this prejudice in fa-
vour of monarchy may appear to the eye
of philofophy ; and though of all paflions
the love of a King, merely becaufe he is a
King, is perhaps the fiUieft ; yet it furely
ought to be confidered as meritorious by
thofe who are the objeds of it.

3 No

Nly people ckfffiiig, c? vrtft) dtd ct<ir ekiflf,
haVe Md fo juft at ckim to the grathu^
7in& afffcd^knis of tfi«r foverefgn, as tlib
Frtiich'. "thtf rejoice m tris-joy, are grieved
at* Iffi'^tiHf, pfbuddf Kftpower,- vain of hU
iceddipfelftnentsf, mdulgeiit to' hla faiKrigsl
iTh^y' Aheei'fatty yield thtii O^ri conVe-
niences to his fuperfluities^add alfd at all tiihei
itMAg tb facrifite their lives for his glory.

A iting, one would imagine, muft be a
per fe'fi monfter o^ lelfidiriers and irifenfi-
bility, who did not love fiich fufejedis, and
iif%6 did lior bdlbw fonie time atld attea-
tioti ro^pfOlliotd their happiheft: Yet the
Fretrch natiott has riot had a Mbtiardh wor-
thy of all thir regard fince the day* of
Heiiry^ IV. arid of all their kingaf they ufed
hiai the worft.

Of the^tlirc^broilrers who Imfflediately
fitecc'dtti him, the firft \fras a Ifckfy'crda-
iiird, a4 feeble in mind as in body; the fe-
cond, a monfltf of fiiperftition aud* cruelty j
and the third, after a dat^^ii of fomcbright-

B 4 nefst

52 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

nefsy allowed his meridian to be pbfcured
by the groOfeft clouds of efFeminacy and
voluptuoufnefs. Their Italian mother, who
governed all the threet feems to have been
perfedly nnreftrained by any feelings of
humanity or of confcience, and folely
guided by motives of inteceft, and the moft
perfidious policy.

The princes who have fucceededi as well
as thofe who reigned before the fourth
Henryy ferve as foils which difplay his
bright qualities with double luftre.

Notwithflanding all the inducements
which the French Kings have to promote
the happinefs of their fubjeds, it may be
many centuries before they are bleffed with
one who (hall have that paffion in fuch a
high degree.

A character in which the great and an)i«
able virtues are fo finely blended, is very
rarely produced in any nation. How fmall
then mud be the chance that this prize
ihall fall to the individual who is def-

tined

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 53

rined for the throne? Henry received an
education very different from that which is
generally beftowed on Kings. His cha«
raster v^as formed in the hardy fchool of
adverfity: his mind was (Irengthened by
continual exertions of courage and pru-
dence. He was taught humanity by fuf-
fering under the rod of tyranny, and expe-
riencing the pangs of the unfortunate.
Having frequently ftood in need of friends^
he knew the value of their attachment, and
his heart became capable of friendfliip.

Difficulties and dangers often ftrike out
particles of genius which otherwife might
remain latent and ufelefs, and contribute to
the formation of a vigorous character, by
animating thofe fparks of virtue which a
life of indolence Mcould have completely
extinguiQied.

Thofe people who, from their earlieft in-
fancy, have found every thing provided for
them, who have not much ambition^ and

E 3 con-

54 VIE^ py SOCIETY ^Np

confeque»;ly 9re jfcUow-. «cit?d to' ai^if
^reat e^ef tioa of tb^eir ^p^lfijep, geflf »jijy
{^4 theft facultiejs djsriq^^e ^pd grpw WSOkj^

for (he f^me reafoa th^t a iQax^ « srma
would become gradujjlly %We, md at
Ifflgttf perfe^ly ufdefe^ if hfi were to
\ve9r t^^m ia a fcarf for %nj Qooiidfirahle

That the faculties of t;he underftanding,
Jike the .fincws of the body, are relaxed
by %*% and ftrcngthened by exercife,- no-
body wiU doubt. I imagine the- fame ana*
]%Y b^Ws ia fome degrep hfijCwMti'the
body and the qqaj jties pf th& beast. • Beney

Yplenqe» pi^y, gratjitqdej area I fufpeia^:«-*
ceedingly apt to fta|[P.atf into a calnpi» Aug-'
gi(^ ijUfei^nbiiity in tl^at breaft which has
pot b^en agitated from re^l misfortunea.

People do not fully enter into diftreffes
which they never ha^ve fe^t* apd which
they thiak they i:ua but a, fi^aU rifk of
feeling, AocQidiagly it haa be? % remi^rked,

that

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. ^5

tbatthcife who hkre been favbuired through
life with tlie fmties of f^rtone, and wbofe
tiiAti has bem fpent in the amufements of
txAitUabd luxyrlotts indulgences, very ofced
aeqirire an aftoUiihing infenfibility to the
idii^rtetic» of othfert* Thfe charafter the
iftoft ptf feSif <ibld of 4ll I ever knew, de*
void of friendfliip, gratitude^ and ill fome
iaftandefe dead to natural aflFe&iod, belongs

to a woman of el^vltlsd rank) vfhoCe life

•1

hitherto has fteen a odnitnued feriea of
fortunali^ $y4nt&>

Ydt rrhilt all thieir cires ate contrafl^tf,
and All their f^el'mgs abfbrbed, within the
ctmipad 6( thfilt 0Wa ikid, fach ^eopl6
feem often convinced, that they themfelveft
iM df (he ihofl: hiifflahd di(pofitiohfe^ and
the ftjort tiitenfWt bttfevdlcnc6< u^Km ft©
bettef foundatton, than hecaufe th<iy have,
felt thettfelves aflPeded by the artful rfif-
tcefl^^ of ^ romance, and hicdxtk th6f could
(hed a( few hiTith tears at a tragedy.

E 4 If

$6 . VIEW OF SOCETY AND

If to thefe fymptoms of fenfibilityi they
can add, that of having occafionally given
a guinea when the contribution ha^ been
fet a--going, or have parted with a little fu*
perfluous money to free themfeWes from
importunity, they have then carried bene'*
volence to the utmofl; length of their idea
of that virtue.

They have no notion of any thing be*^
yond this ; nor would they make one ac-
tive exertion poftpone a iingle party of
pleafure, or in any fhape interrupt the
tranquillity of th^ir own indolence^ to per-
form th^ mod eflential fervice (I will not
fay to a friend, fuch people can have none)
to any of the human rs^ce.

There are many exceptions, but in ge^
ner^^l thofe perfons who are expofed to the
flings an4 arrows of outrageous fortune^
\7ho hav^ experienced the bafe indiflference
of mankind, and have in fome degree felf
what wretches feeU are endued with the
trueft fympathy, and eater^ with the moft

lively

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 57

lively fcnfibility, into the fituation of the
unfortunate.

Non ignara mali, miferis faccnrrere difco*,

faid Dido, who had been obliged to fly
from her country, to ^neas, who had been
witnefs to the deftruSion of his.

Dido and £neas! — How in the name
of wandering have we got into their com-
pany ? I could no more have guelTed at
. tbiSf thaa at the fubjedt of one of Mon-
taigne's Efliays from the title. We fet out»
I believe, with fomething about France ;-~
but you cannot exped that I fhould attempt
to take up a thread which ie left fo far be-
hind.

Adieu.

* Like yoa, an alien in a land unknown^
I learn to pity woes^ lb like my own* CRrn.

gB VIEW 6F society AHH

LETTER IX*

Puis.

T Mentioned in a former letter, that my

friend F was on the point of

being married. He called at my lodgings
a little while ago. His air was fo very gay,
that I imagined he had fome agreeable
news to eommunicatet Me voHS an
defefpcir, mon cber ami, faid he, with a
loud laugh. — You are the merrifeft man I
everfaw in that fituation, faid'l.'^He then
informed me, that the old Marquis de ?•
hts miflrefs's father, had waited on his mo-
ther, and, after ten thoufand apologies and
circumlocutions, had given her to under-
ftand, that certain things had intervened,
which rendered it impoilible that he (hould
ever have the honour of being father-in-
law to her fon ; and requeiled her to in-
form

MANNfiftS IN FRANCE, &c. $9

f^fa |(ijn, bQW in^aitdK Viat$£y he ftad all
iis faqajly ^sre, at ai> ipcid«at w;l)ich (Jflr
prived tjicqa of ;he pl^afj^w ik^j j^ad pro-t
pofcd tq tl)?aifelve^ fronjjjbiitf qonneiEoa*
His . piother, 1^? f?iid,iia4' endeavoured tg
difcover the ifipidlept whjbch has produce^
fhi^ ^^dden alteration jr— but to po pur-

« ■ • '

pofe.-r-The 0I4 gentleman contented hin»-
felf with afTuring her, that the particu^r^
would be equally difegreeable »qd Aiiperr
fluou8»-— aiid tfeen tocjk Jus leayc^ iq.- r,}^

moft police and ^ffe^iQn^te tecma that t}?ie
Frepch l^ngpa^e could fqroifh hirn inrith*

F> ' v i"" > : tftW »fi til tbift with an «ir

fo fafy and .cqptept?di thM I 4J4 not WfU
^now ^hs^ to laal^fl of \u My de^r Ma^
quigj f^(^ I, ^t 18, fortttnate thju I hayf ^^^
sai^akhcm for jo^ mju^ kn^w, I had taJ^^ft
k i|^o m^ be^d tba^ you W^fc ^i)4 of ct^
^dy.— rYqu werp in the right, piy frifn^
fj^id, he,je I'aipapia infiwnttwt«'-''^Com*
fomi iofiniiaeatt {x\^ {*, and ycc be f^
merry wh^ y^ are juft going to lofe

her I

6o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND
her!— ——Mais vous autres Angloisi iaid

he, vous avez des idccs (i bizarres !
aimer infiaiment, cela veut dire aimer
comme on aime,-~tout le monde s'aime
ainfi quand il ne fe bait pa8> -Mais je
vous conterai toute I'biftoire.

My mother, added he, veho is the beft
creature in the world, and whom I love
with all my foul, told me this marriage
would make her quite happy > All my
uncles and aunts, and coufins, for ten ge-
nerations, told me the fame. I was in-
formed over and above, that the lady^
her father, and all her relations, wiiSied
this alliance with the inoft obliging car-
rieftnefs. The girl hcrfelf i« tolerably
pretty. They will perfuade ttie to marry
fome time or other, thought I; why not
now, as well as at another time? Why
iliould I refufe to do a thing which will
pleafe fo many people, without being in
the fmalleft degree difpleafing to myfclf ?—
To be Aire, faid I, that would have been

ill-

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 6f

ill-natured. It was lucky, however, that
you happened to be perfedly difengaged,
and did not prefer any other woman.

You are miftaken, my friend^ faid he;
I preferred many to the lady in queftion,
and one in particular, whofe name I will
not mention, but whom J love — whom I
do love,— Comme on aime, faid I, in-
terrupting him. Non, parbleu! added

he, with warmth, comme on naime

pas. Good Heaven ! then, cried I, how

could you think of marrying another?-—
Cela n'empecbe rien! faid the Marquis,

coolly for I could not marry the other.

She bad the dart of me, and had under-
gone the ceremony already; and therefore
(he had no objedion to my obliging my
mother and relations in this particular, for
(he is the beft-natured woman in the
world.

So (he appears to be, faid 1. O,

pour cela oui, mon cher, added he, elle eft
la bonte meme. However, I am very well

pleafcd,

^ VIEW OF SGCltrV AND

pteafody opoA the whole, <hai fhe srfFair
Ha«' goiacJ off without ^ny fault of ihine;
and though it k poffible that it inay b$
broughtf oti' at fome futurtf period, I {Ball
ftUl be a^ glidefi parceque Un- mariage
reoul^ eft tojouils' autatac de gagne fur le
repentk. So fiybg«: he* Wheekki on ^ts
hcelj huimnyog;^

Nbn, tu ad Ik iheftra pas", Cblifl, Sed:

, There's the pidure of a French lover for

you. 1 fet down the whpfle fcene,' aa

foon as F— — left me, and fo I leave yott
to make your own refledions*

Adieu.

MANNERS IN- FRANCE, te. 63

LETTER X.

Paris.

*^QU have often baard tha French ao«
cufed of infincerity» and of being

warm> in profieOaanSt but devoid o£ real
fidendfiiip.

Onr countrymen^, in particuUF* are led
into thia opinioni £rova tha manners: in ge«
neral being mare obfequious faerer than* in
£nglsknd« What. Frencbmen coa(ider aa
cojamon. goodi manners, many £ngltihmen
would ca^l flattery^ perhaps: fawning^

Their language abounds in;compUmental
pKrafeSf iNrhiQk they- diftribute vnth won-
derful profuflon and. volubility; but they
intend na more.by them^ thaoian Englifh-*
maa means, when he fubfcrtbea himfelf

your

64 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

your mofl: obedient humble fervant^ at the
conclufion of a letter.

A Frenchman not only means nothing
beyond common civility, by the plentiful
fhower of compliments which he pours on
every ftranger ; but alfo, he takes it for
grantedi that the ftranger knows that no«
thing more is meant, Thefe expreflions
are fully underftood by his own country-
men : he imagines all the world are as well
informed ; and he has not the fmalleft in-
tention to deceive. But if any man takes
thefe expreffions in a literal fenfe, and be-
lieves that people are in reality infpired
with friendfhip, or have fallen in love with
him at firft fighti he will be very much

difappointed ; efpecially if he expe6:s ftrong
{)roof8 of either.

Yet he has no right to accufe the French
of infincerity, or breach of fricndlhip.— —
Friendfliip is intirely out of the queftion.
They never intend to convey any other

idea^l

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 65

idea, than that they were willing to receive
him on the footing of an acquaintance;
a nd it was the bufinefs of his Ian*
guage-mafter to have informed him of the
real import of their expreffions.

If the fame words indeed were literally
tranflated into Englifli, and ufed by one
Englifhman to another, the perfon to whom
they were addrefTed, would have good rea*
fon to imagine that the other had a parti-
cular regard for him, or meant to deceive
him J becaufe the eftablifhed modes of
t:ivility and politenefs in England do not
require fuch language.

The not making a' proper allowance for
different modes and ufages which accident
has eftabliflied, is one great caufe of the
unfavourable and harfli fentiments, which
the people of the different countries of
the world too often harbour againft each
other.

Vol. L F You

66 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

You may fay, perhaps, that this fuper*
fluity of compliments which the French
ihake ufe of, is a proof of the matter in
queftion ; that the French have lefs finceril:y
than their neighbours. By the fame rule
we mud conclude, that the common peo-
ple of every nation, who ufe few complir
mental phrafes in their difcourfci have a
greater regard to truth, and ftronger fenti-
ments of friendfhip, than thofe in the middle
and higher ranks. But this is wh^t I ima-
gine it would be difficult to prove.

Thefe complimental phrafes, which have
crept into all modern languages, may, per-
haps, be fuperflOous; or, if you pleafe,
abfurd: but they are fo fully eftablifhed,
that people of the greateft integrity muft
ufe them, both in England and in France;
with this difference, that a fmaller pi'opor-
tion will do in the language of the oije
country, than in that of the other ^ but they
are indications of friendfhip in neither.

Fricndihip

MANNERS IN FRANCE^ kc, 67

Friendfhip is a plant of flow growth, ia

every climate. Happy the man who can

rear a few, even where he has the nioft
fettled refidence. Travellers, pafEng through
foreign countries, feldom take timie to cul-
tivate them; if they be prefented with'
fome flowers, although of a flimfy texture
and quicker growth, they ought to accept
of them with thankfulnefs, and not quar-
rel with the natives, for cboofing to re-
tain the other more valuable plant for their
own t^fe.

"Of all travellers, the young Englifti no-
bility and gentry have the leaft right to
find fault with their entertainment while
on their tours abroad ; for fuch of them as
fliow a defire of forming a connedlion with
the inhabitants, by even a moderate degree
of attention, are received upon eafier terms
than the travellers from any other country.
But a very co'nfiderable number of our
countrymen have not the fmalleft defire of

F 2 that

, I

68 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

that nature: they feem rather to avoid
their fociety, and accept with reluftance
every oflFer of hofpitality. This happens
partly from a prejudice againft foreigners
of every kind; partly from timidity or
natural referve; and in a great meafure
from indolence, and an abfolute deteftation
of ceremony and reftraint. Befides, they
hate to'be obliged to fpeak a language of
which they feldom acquire a perfed com-
mand.

They frequently, therefore, form focie-
ties or clubs of their own, where all cere-
mony is difmiffed, and the greatefl eafe and
latitude allowed in behaviour, drefs, and
converfation. There they confirm each
other in all their prejudices, and with
united voice condemn and ridicule the cuf-
toms and manners of every country but
their own.

By this conduQ: the true purpofe of tra-
velling is loft or perverted J and many Eng-

lifb

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 69

lifli travellers remain four or five years
abroad) and have feldom, during all this
fpace, been in any company but that of
their own countrymen.

To go to France and Italy, and there
converfe with none but Englifh people, and
merely that you may have it to fay that
you have been in thofe countries, is cer-
tainly abfurd: Nothing can be more fo, ex-
cept to adopt^with enthufiafm the falhions,
fopperies, tafte, and manners of thofe
countries, and tranfplant them to England,
where they never will thrive, and where
they always appear awkward and unnatural.
For after all his efforts of imitation, a tra-
velled Englifhman is as different from a
Frenchman or an Italian, as an Englifli
maftiff is from a monkey or a fox : And if
ever that fedate and plain meaning dog
fhould pretend to the gay frifkinefs of the
one, or to the fubtilty of the other, we
fhould certainly value him much lefs than
we do.

F 3 But

70 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

But I do not imagine that this extreme
is by any means fo common as the former*
It is. much more natural to the EngliJh
charader to defpife foreigners, than to imi-
tate them. A few tawdry examples to the
contrary, who return every winter from the
contioent, are b^^rdly worth mentioning ^
exceptions*

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 71

LETTER XI.

Paris.

"V^ OUR acquaintance B- has been in
Paris for thefe three weeks paft. I
cannot conceive how he has remained fo
long ; for he has a very bad opinion of
this nation, and is fraught with the
firongeft prejudice againfl French man-
ners in general : He confiders all their
politeiTe as impertinence, and receives
their civilities as a prelude to the picking of
his pocket.

He and I went this forenoon to a review
of the foot-guards, by Marflial Biron.
There was a crowd ; and we could with
difficulty get within the circle fo as to fee
conveniently. An old officer of high rank
touched fome people who flood before us,

F 4 faying,-^

^^ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

faying, — Ces deux Meffieurs font des etran-
gers ; upon which they immediately made
way, and allowed us to pafs, — Don't you
think that was very obliging ? faid I. — ^Yes>
anfwered he j but, by heavens, it was very
.unjuft.

We returned by the Boulevards, where
crowds of citizens, in their holiday drefles,
were making merry; the young dancing
cotillons, the old beating time to the mu-
fic, and applauding the dancers, all in a
carelefs oblivion of the paft, thoughtlef§ of
the future, and totally occupied with the
prefent. — Thcfe people feem very happy,
faid I. — Happy ! exclaimed B ; if they
had common fenfe or refledion, they would
be miferable. Why fo ? — Could not the
minifter, anfwered he, pick out half a dozen
of them, if he pleafed, and clap them into
the Bicetre ?— That is true indeed, faid I ;
that is a cataftrophe which, to be fure, may
very probably happen, and yet I thought ^
no more of it than they.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 73

We met, a few days after fee arrived, at
a French houfe where we had both been
invited to dinner. There was an old lady
of quality prefent, next to whom a young
ofl&cer was feated, who paid her the utmoft
attention. — He helped her to the diQxes
fhe liked, filled her glafs with wine or
water, and addrefled his difcourfe particu-
larly to her. — What a fool, fays B ,

does that young fellow make of the poor
old woman I If fhe were my mother, d — a
mC) if I would not call him to an account
for it. — —

Though B— - underflands French, and
fpeaks it better than moft Englifhmen, he
had no reliih for the converfation, foon left
the company, and has refufed all invita-*
tions to dinner ever fmce. He generally
finds fome of our countrymen who dine
and pafs the evening with him at the Pare
Royal.

After the review this day, we continued

together, and being both difengagedj I pro-

pofed.

74- VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

ppfed, bj way of variety, to dine at the
ppfblic ofdinary of the Hotel de Bourbon.'
He did not like this much at firft. — I
fhall be leafed, fays he, with their con--
founded ceremony : — But on my obferving,
that we could not expe<3: much ceremony

or politeoefs at a public ordinary, he agreed
to go.

Our entertainment. turned out different,
however, from my expedations and his
wiflies: A marked attention was paid us
the moment we entered ; every body feemed
inclined to accommodate us with the befl:
places. They helped us fir ft, and all the
company feemed ready to facrifice every
little conveniency and diftinftion to the
ftrangers : For, next to that of a lady, the
moft refpeded chafader at Paris is that of a

ftranger.

After dinner, B— - and I walked into
the gardens of the Palais RoyaL

There was nothing real in all the fufs

thofe people made about us, fays he.

I can't

MANNERS IN FRANCE, Sec. 7$

I can't help thinking, it fmetbing^ faid
I, to be treated with civility and apparent
fcindnefs in a foreign country— by flrangers
who know nothing about us» but that we
areEngliihmen, and often their enemies.

But tbeir politenefs confifts in trifles^
faid he, — Ift what confifts any body's po-
litenefs ? rejoined I.— —The utmoft a
Frenchman will do for you, added he, is
to endeavour to amufe you, and make your
time pafs agreeably while you remain in
his country.— And I think that no trifle,
aafwered L— There arc fo many fources of

uneafinefs and vexation in this life, that I
cannot help having a good will, and even
gratitude, to all thofe who enable me to
forget them : — ^For fuch people alleviate my
pain, and contribute to my happinefs.

But thefe Frenchmen, rejoined he, do
not care a farthing for ypu in their hearts.
— ^And why fhould I care a farthing for
that ? faid I. — We have nothing to do with
their hearts — You do not expeO; a friend ia

every agreeable acquaintance.

But

y6 . VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

But they are an interefted fet of people ;
and even thofe among them who pretend
to be your friends,— do it only for fome
felfifh end»

This is only an aflertion, faid I, but no
proof.— If you flood in need of pecuniary
afliftancei they would not advance you a
louis to fave you from a jaiU continued he^

I hope never to be perfedly convinced,
of that, faid I ; — ^but if we were to culti-
vate friendfhip from the idea of affiftance
of that nature, it would be doing exadly
what you accufe them of: Befides, conti-
nued I, the power and opportunity of ob-
liging our acquaintances and friends by
great, and, what are called > eiTential fer*
vices, feldom occur; but thofe attentions
and courtefies, v^hich fmooth the commerce
between man and man, and fweeten focial
life, are in every body's power, and there
are daily and hourly occafions of difplaying
them, — particularly to ftrangers.— — Curfe
their courtefies, faid he, — they are the great-
eft Bore in nature.-^I hate the French.—

They

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 77

They are the enemies of England, and a
falfe, deceitful, perfidious — But as we did
not come over, interrupted I, to fight them
at prefent, we (hall fufpend hoftilities till a
more convenient feafon ; and in the mean
time, if you have no objeflion, let us go to
the play.

He agreed to this propofal, and here our
converfation ended*

You know B is as worthy a fel-
low as lives ; and^ under a rough addrefs,
conceals the bed difpofition in the world.
His manner, I imagine, was originally af-
fumed from a notion, which he has in com-
mon with many people, that great polite-
nefs, and apparent gcntlenefs of behaviour,
are generally accompanied with falfehood
and real coldnefs; — even inhumanity of
charader, — as if human nature, like mar-
ble, took a polifh proportionable to its
hardnefs.

This idea is certainly formed without an

accurate exaniinationj and from a fuper-

ficial

^ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

ficial view of mankind. As a boorifh ad-
drefs is no proof of honefty, fo is poJitenefs
no indication of the reverfe ;— and if thejr
are once reduced to an equality in this par-
ticulaf) it is evident that the latter is pre-
ferable in every other refpeft.

But to return to the French ; I am clear-
ly of opinion, that a ftranger may fairly
avail himfelf of every conveniency arifing
from their obliging manners, although he
fhould be convinced that all their affiduity
and attention are unconnedted with any re-
gard to him, and flow entirely from vanity
and felf-love* He may perceive that his
Parifian friend^ while he loads him with
civilities, is making a difplay of his own
proficiency in the fcience of politenefs, and

endeavouring to thruft himfelf forward in

the good opinion of the company, by yield-
ing the preference on a thoufand trifling
occafions.— Though he plainly fees, that
all his (looping is with a view to conquer^
why fhould he repine at a vidtory which is
accompahied with fo many conveniencies

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 79

to himfelf ? why quarrel with the motive
while he feels the benefit of the efFedt ?

■

If writers or preachers of morality could,
by the force of eloquence, eradicate felfifli-
nefs from the hearts of men, and make
them in reality love their neighbours as
themfelveSf it would be a change devoutly
to be wiflied. But until that bleffed event,
let us not find fault with thofe forms and
attentions which create a kind of artificial
f riendfhip and benevolence, which for many
of the purpofes of fociety produce the fame

efFed& as the true.

People who love to amufe themielves
with play, and have not ready money, are
obliged to ufe counters. You and I, my
friend, as long as we cut and fhufRe to-
gether, ihall never have occafion for fuch a
fuccedaneum j — I am fully perfuaded we
are provided, on both fides, with a fufficient
quantity of pure gold.

8o VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

LETTER XII.

Paris*

117 HEN B and I went to the play-

houfe, as was mentioned in my laft,
we found a prodigious crowd of people be-
fore the door : We could not get a place
till after a confiderable ftruggle. The play
was the fiege of Calais, founded on a po*
puUr ftory, which muft needs be interefting
and flattering to the French nation.

You cannot conceive what preffing and
crowding there is every night to fee this
favourite piece, which has had the fame
fuccefs at Verfailles as at Paris.

There are fome few critics, however,
who aflert that it is entirely devoid of me-
rit, and owes its run to the popular nature
of the fubjed, more than to any intrinfic

beauty

MANNERS IN FRANCII, &c, it

beauty in the verfes, which fome declare
are not even good French*

When it was laft aded before the King,
it is faid, his Majeftjr, obferving that the
Due d'Ayen did not join in applauding,
but that he rather Ihewed fome marks of
difguft, turned to the Duke and faid, Vous
n'applaudiflez pas? Vous n'^tes pas bon
. Frangois, Monfieur le Due :^To this the
Duke replied,— a Dieu ne plaife que je ne
fufle pas meilleur que les vers dc la pi^ce*

Obedient to the court in every other
particular, the French difregard the deci-
fions pronounced at Verfailles in matters of
tafle. It very often happens that a drama-
. tic piece, which has been aded before the
royal family and the court, with the high-
eft applaufe, is afterwards damned with
every circumftance of ignominy at Paris.
In all works of genius the Parifians lead
the judgment of the courtiers, and dilate
to their monarch.

Vol. I. O Jq

«a VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

In other couafries of Europe, it has hap-
penedy that fomic Prince of fuperior talents
has, by the brightnefs of his own genius,
enlightened the minds of his fubjefbs, and
difpelled the clouds of barbarifm fronai his
dominions.

Since the commencement of this century
. a great empire has been improved from a
ftate of grofs ignorance, refined by the arts
of peace, and infiru^ked in the arts of war,
by the vaft genius and induftry of one of its
Princes, who laid the foundation of its pre-
fent power and grandeur.

Another inconfiderable ftate, with fewer
refources, has, at a later period, been
created a powerful monarchy, by the afto-
ni(hing efforts, perfeverance, and magna*
nimity of its prefent king j whofe love of
knowledge and the arts has drawn fome
of the greateft geniufes in Europe to his
capital ; whence fcience and tafte muft gra-
dually flow through his whole dominions,

where

MANi^'kS ti* f RANCEi fee. ftj

where they were formerly biit little che«
filh-c'd.

In thefe inftances, and othera which
ihignt be enumerated, the princes l^ave
beeri fupferidr in geiiiiis to any of their fub-
jeds. 'The throiie has been the foiirce
vi^hence knowledge and refinement havd
iioWed to the extremities of the nation.

But this has never been the ckth ih
Ffatice, ^Vhefe it is not the king who po*
fifties the people ;-^but the people who re-
fine the ftiatlhers, humanize the heart, and>
if it be hot pdrfe^lj opaque, enlighten the
underftahding of the king.

' Telemaque, and many other works, have
been compofed with this intention. In
tnitiy addreffes and reiiionftrances to the
thi-ohc, excellent precepts and hints are
infititlated in an indireft and delicate
niannfeh

By the emphatic applaufe they beftow
on particular paflages of the pieces repre-
lented at the theatre, they convey to the

G 9 monarch

S4 VIEW OF SOCIETY.AND

monarch the fentiments of the nation
refpedling the noteafures of his govern-
ment.

Byafcribing qualities to him which he
does not pofTefs^ they endeavour to excite
within his bread a defire to attain them :
they try to cajole him into virtue. Confi-
dered in this point of view> the defign of
the equeftrian ftatue which the city of Paris
has erected in honour of Lewis XV. may
have htcn fuggefted from a more generous
motive than flattery^ to which it is generally
imputed. This was begun by Bouchardon;
who died when the work was well advanced,
and has fmcebeen committed' to Pigal to be
finiOied.

The horfe is placed on a very high pc-
deftal. At the angles are four figures^
Aanding in the manner of Caryatides, who
reprefent the four virtues. Fortitude, Tpf*
tice. Prudence, and the love of Peace. All

the ornaments are of Bronze,

^ >

Th6

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 85

The two fmall fides of the pedeftal are
ornamented with gilded laurels and infcrip-
tions. On the front, towards the Thuil-
leries9 is the following :

LUDOVICO XV.

OPTIMO PRINCIPI

QJJOD

. AD SCALDUM, MOSAM, RHENUM,

VICTOR

PACEM ARMIS

PACE

SUORUM ET EUROPiE

FELICITATEM

QJJiESiyiT.

The large fides of the pedeftal are adorn-
ed with trophies and has reliefs. One re-
prefents Lewis giving peace to Europe;
the other reprefents him in a triumphal
chariotj crowned by Vidlory, and conduced
by Renown to a people who fubmit.

When we recoiled that the infcription
and emblems allude to the conclufion of
the war before the laft, and what kind of
infcriptions are ufually put under the ftatues

G 3 of

$6 VIEW QF SOClEX-y AND

of kingSj^ we (tall not f^nd aay thing out^
ragequfly flattering in the aboye j the mo^
ral of which is, thfit the love qf pea^e i;^
one of the greatefl virt^^ea a king caa ppf--
fefs The beft moral that can be in*
iinuated into the bread of a monarchy

In this work the horfe is infinitely more
admired) by fculptors and fktirifta) t^aq.
the king. But the greateft overfight isi
that the whole group, though all the figures
are larger than life^ have a diminutive ap-^
pearance in the centre of the vaft area in
which they are pUced.

The wits of Paris could not allow fuch
an opportunity of indulging t|ieir vein to
efcape unimproved. Many epigrams are
)ianded about.-?--Here are two ;

Bouchardon eft un animal.
Et fon ouvrage fait pitie ;
Jl place les vices k chevaU
^t met les vertqs a pied.

Voil^

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. S7

Voilsl notre Roi comme il eft a Verfailles,
Sans fbi) fans loi, et fans entrailles.

Both are too fevere ; giving the idea of
wicked difpoiitionsj and cruelty of temperi
which do not belong to Lewis the Fif-
teenthj whofe real charader, in three
words, is that of a good-natured, cafy-
tempered man, funk in floth and fen-
fuality.

I have feen another infcription for* the
ftatue handed about ; it is in Latin, and
veryfhort.

STATUA STATUS*.

You may imagine that the authors of
thefe would meet with a dreadful punifli-
ment» if they were difcovered. No danger
of that kind is fufficient to reftrain the in-
habitants of. this city from writing and
fpreading fuch pafqulnades, which are
greatly reliftied by the whole nation,

• The Statue of a Statac.

G 4 Indeedf

VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

' Indeed, I imagine there is more of the
fpirit of revenge, than of good policy, in
attempting to repel fuch humours ; which,
if they did not get vent in this manner,
might break out in a more dangerous
ihape*

Adieu.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. S9

LETTER Xin.

Paris.

T Dined yefterday with an equal number
of both fexes, at the Chevalier B — 's.
He is F 's very intimate friend, and

has a charming houfe within a few leagues
of Paris, which the Marquis makes full as
much ufe of as the owner.

The Chevalier has a confiderable revenue,
which he fpends with equal magnificence
and oeconomy. He has been married many
years to his prefent lady^ a moil: agreeable
woman, with whom he poflefles every
thing which can make their union happy»
except children. They endeavour to forget
this difagreeable circumftance, by a con«
fiant fucceflion of company ; and, which
is very (ingular here, the fociety entertain-
ed by the huiband and wife are the fame.

gp yiEw QF ^qaiETY anji .

F— — , though much younger than
either, is a great favourite of both ; and
they are always pleafed when he invites a
fmall company of his friends to dine at
their houfe.

The prefent party was propbfed by Ma-
dame de M ■ j , a rich youiig- widow,
much admired here; of whom I fhallgive
you a glimpfe, ^n paffant—- 4er do not
imagine I undertake to defcrtbe the ni^il

undefcribable of all human bdngS)-^ si

fine French lady.

Madame de M has fome wit, more

beauty; and vivacity in the greateft mea«
fure: — if there were a fourth degree of
comparifpn, I ihould place her vanity there.
She laugl^s^a great deal, and fhe isin the
right; iqr her teeth are remarkably fine.
She talks very much, and in a loud and de«
cifive tone of voice^— This is not fo judici-
ous, becaufe her fentiments are not fo bril-
liant as her teeth, and her voice is gather
haifibi'^be ia received with attention and

refpeft

MANNERS IN FRANCE, i^. gj,

T^peGt every where j!— than (he owes to her
rank.-— She is liked 9od followed by the
men ; this ihe owes to h^r beauty. She ia
notdiflike^ by the womeqi which is pro-
bably owing to her foibles.

This lady is thought to be fond of
f '! ■ ' .^ ': fo, tQ prevent fca\ndal, fhe de-
fired me to call 'at her houfe^ and attend
her to the Chevalier's,

I found, her at her toilette^ in confulta-
tion with ^ geqeral ofEcer and two abbes^
poacerning ^ new head^drefs which £he had
juft inventedt-'-^It was fmart and fanciful ;
andt after a few corredionsi received the
fan^ion of all thofe critics. They declared
it to be a valuable difcovery, and foretold

ttxsLt it would immediately become the
general mode of Paris, and do immortal
honour to the genius of Madame de

She wheeled from before the glafs, with
an air of exultation^-^Allons, donci mes
Wifans 1^-!^— F. a la gloirei*— •cried ihe ; and

was

9t VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

. was proceeding to give orders for Her equi-
page, when a fervant entered, and informed
her, that Madame la ComtefTe had accepted
her invitation^ and would certainly do her-
felf the honour of dining with her.

I defpair ot giving you an idea of the
fudden change which this meffage occa-
iioned in the features of Madame de M — .
Had (he heard of the death of her father, or
her only child, fhe could not have been
more confounded. — £fl-il poffible (faid fhe,
with an accent of defpair) qu'on puiffe etre
fi bete !— The fervant was called, and exa-
mined regarding the import of the anfwer
he had brought from Madame la Comtefie.
— It was even fo-— — (he was afluredlyto^
come.-^Frefh exclamations on the part of
Madame de M ■ Did you fend to in-

vite her for this day ? faid I-^Undoubtedly-

I did, replied Madame de M .. That

could be delayed no longer. She came to

town laft Sunday. — I therefore fent her the
poUteft meflage in the worlds begging to

have

MANNERS IN FRANCE, ,&c. 9J

have the honour of her company for this
day, at dinner; and behold, the horrid
woman (with a rudenefs^ or ignorance of
life without example) fends me word fhe
will come.

It is very (hocking, indeed, faid 1, that
fixe (hould have mifiinderftood your kind-
nefs fo prodigioufly. — ^Is it not ? faid (he.
Could any mortal have expeded fo barba-
rous a return of civility ? She is con-

ne&ed with fome of my relations in the
country: — when (he came to town, I im-
mediately left my name with her porter. —
She called next day on me — I had informed
my Swifs, that I was always to be out
when, (he came. I was denied according-
ly. — Cela eft tout fimple, ec felon les regies.
The woman is twenty years older than I^

and we muft be infupportable to each other
—She ought to have feen, that my invita-
tion was didated by politenefs only :— the
fame politenefs on her part (hould have
prompted her to fend a refufal. In this

manner

94 VIEW OF SOClfetY ANU

manner we might have vifited each dthei*^
dined and fupped together, and remained
on the moft agreeable footing imaginable
through the whole courfe of our lives : — ^but
this inftanceof groffieret^ muft put ah end
to all connection.— ^ Well — thelre is no
remedy : — ^I muft fuffer purgatory for this
one day* Adieu.— Prefent my compliments
to Madame B-— • Inform her of this horrid
accident.

Having condoled with Madame de M-^
on her unmerited misfortune, I took my

leave and joined F 7, to whom t I'e-

counted the fad chance which had deprived
us of that lady's company.

He did not appear quite fo unhappy as
ijie had on the occafion ; but he fwore he
was convinced that the Gountefs had ac-*

ceptcd the invitation to dinner par pure
malice ; for, to his knowledge, flie was
acquainted with their party to the Cheva-
lier B 's, and had certainly feized that
opportunity of plaguing Madame de M~,
4 whom

liiANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 95

whom {he hated. Without that douceur,
he imaginedy the dinnrer would be as great
a pdrgatory to the Countefs^ as it could
poffibly be to Madame de M / ■ % How
thefe afFedtionate friends contrived to pafs
their time together I know not, but we had
a moft agreeable party at the Chevalier's—
the Marquis entertiBiibin]j the company
with the hiftory of Madame M — 's mif-
tbrtune, and the loving; tete-a-tete which
it had occafioned.— ~-^This he related with
fuch fprightlinefsj and defcribed his own
grief and difappointment with fuch a flow
df good huttiour^ as in fome degree indem-
^nified the company for the lady's abfence.

96 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

LETTER XIV.

Paris;

nPHOUGH the gentlencfs of French
manners qualifies in fome degree the
feverity of the government; as I obferved
in a former letter, ftill the condition of the
common people is by no means com-

fortable.

When we confider the prodigious re-
fources of this kingdom j the advantages it
enjoys above almoft every other country in
point of foil, climate, and fituation ; the in-
duftry and ingenuity of the inhabitants,
attached by aflFeaion to their Kings, and
fubmiffive to the lav^s ; we naturally expe^
that the bulk of the nation ihould be at

■

their eafe, and that poverty fhould be as
little known here as in any country of

Europe.

Manners IN France, sic gy

Burope. I do not fpeak of that ideal or
comparative poverty* the child of envy and
covetoiifnefs, which may be felt by the
richeft citizens of London or AmUecdam ;
or of the poverty produced in capitals by
gaming, luxory, and diflipation; but pf
that a^ual poverty » which arifcs when the
laborious part of a nation cannot acquire a,
competent fhare of the necefiaries of life by
their induftry*

The two firft flow from the vices and ex-
travagance of individuals : — ^The other from
a bad govern ment«

Much of the firft may be found in Lon-^
don, where more riches circulate than in
any city of Europe; of the laft there is little
to be feen in the country of England.

The revcrfe of this is the cafe in France,
where the pooreft inhabitants of the capi-
tal are often in a better fituation than the
laborious peafant. The former, by admi-
niftering to the luxuries, or by taking ad*
vantage of the follies of the great and th$
. Vol, I. H wealthy,

qd VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

wealthy* may procure a tolerable livelihood,
and fbmetimes make a fortune; while the
peafant cannot^ without much difficuhy»
earn a fcanty and precarious fubfiftence.
' 'To have an adequate idea of the wealth
of England) we muft vifit the provincea,
and fee how the nobility, the gentry, and
cfpecially the fanners and country people
in general live. The magnificence of the
former, and the abundance which prevails
among the latter claflfes, muft altoniih the
hatives of any other country in Europe.

To retain a favourable notion of the
wealth of France, we mud remain in the
capital, or vifit a few trading or manufac-
turing towns; but muft feldom enter the
chateau of the Seigneur, or the hut of the
peafant. In the one, we fhall find nothing
but tawdry furniture, and from the other
we fliall be feared by penury.

A failure of crops, or a carelefi admini--
ftration, may occafion dillrefs and fcarcity
€f bread among the common people at a

c . particular

J4ANNERg IN; F|tAHO|:,;&c. 99

|!;|l!tipQlAr tiRie: J?w> ^-v^^ifia there i&a pciv
s^i^eitit ppvercy through vaxioua reigaSt^nd

^ § loi^g tca^ of ye^rar among the .pea-
fantry-of fuch a cquntry as France^ .this
feeqis, to tne t^e fureft proof of 4 caFelefd*
jindw/ififqueotly an oppreiEve gftwramcat.
Yet therFreui;h very feldom complsun of
their gpyernmeo^ though oftea qf their
goyeroors ; and never of the Ktngi but air
'ways of the minifter.*
. Although the enthufiaftic affe&lon which
th^ pepple qf this nation oace feU for their
•prpfeAt mppafch he greatly ahatpdf it is not
aqnihilatj;4- Spme of the cour^tiers indeed#
who ^re fuj)pofed to adminiftcr to the
-King's pleafures, aredetcfted.^ Theimpm-
dent ofte^tatipiis luxury of the miftrefs, is
f^i^liql y ei^crated ; hut thi^ir icenfureof the
Kibgr even where they think themfelvea
quite;i(afef never burfls out as it would in
fome other nations^ in violent expreffioos^^
fuch as/Curfe his folly )-~bis weaknefs^ br-«-
his obftloac^ No : Even th&t fictkfure of

H 2 him

tt>6 VI£W OF SOCIETY ANfi

him 18 intermmgled with a kind ofzSec^
tionate regret.— Naturcllement il eft bon#
they fay.— And when they obferve the de-
plorable anxiety and difguft in his cbiinte^-
nance) which are the concomitants of a
conftitutjbn jaded by pleafuret and of a
miftd incapable of application^ they cry^
Mon Dieu, qu*il eft trifte! — II eft mal-
heureux lui-meme;—— comment peut«il
penfer k nous autres ?

I am perfuaded) that, in fpite of the di&
content which really fubfifts at prefent
in Frances the King might recover the
efteem and affedion of his fubje&s at once
by the fimple manoeuvre of difmifling his
ipiniflery and a few other unpopular cha-
raders. A Lettre de cachet» ordering them
to banijQiment, or ihutting them up in the
Baftille» would be confidered as a complete
revolution of government,^ and the nation
would require no other Bill of Rights than
what proceeded from this dreadful inftru-
ment of tyrajmy.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. loi

As matters are at prefent^ in my opinion,
no body of men in Fraiice has, properly
fpeaking, any rights. The Princes, the
noblefle, and the clergy, have indeed cer-p
tain privileges which diftinguifh them in
different degrees from their fellow-fubjeds :
but Us for rights, they have none; or, which
amounts to the fame thing, none which can
defend them, or which they can defend
agaiqfl: the Monarch, whenever he in his
royal wifdom choofes to invade or annihi'i-
late them.

A Frenchman will tell you^ that their
parliaments have the right of ren^onftrating
to • the Arone upon certain occafions.— ^
This is A precious privilege indeed! the
common*council of London are in poffef-
(ion of this glorious right alfo, and we all
know what it avails. It is like the power
of which Owen Glendower boafted ■ »
*• Calling fpirits from the vafly deep."— ••
But the misfortune was, that none came io
confe^uence of his call.

H 3 The

loa VIEW OF SOCIETY AK»

Tiic pariiamcnts tjf Paris can infdfited re-
monftrate; and have done it tvith fuch
firengtfa of f e4fo Aing imd energy of expref-^
fidn, 'that if eloquence were able to prevail
over oihlimited power, evety gricvatic0
would have been redreffed.

Borne 6f thefe remonftranccs difplay not
drily iexamples of ttie mdft fdblime ahd pa-
thetic eloqbence, btft alfo breatlie' a fpirlt
of freedom which would do hoiloUr to a
BritiffiHoufe of Commons*

The refiftance which the members of
the parliament of 'Fans thsiae to the ^ill of
the Kin^, does them the greateft honouh
indeed the kWyers itk FrJEhce havt d(&
pUyed more jufl: Atid ih^hty t^ntinii^tfts of
govemnie6t;&nd bate bade a ndbler ftruggt^
agairift defpotic power, &an any ftt df iaeA
in Hie kingdom. It has ihferdfore ofvsti
•}xffc6ted ine wkh ftirpriife 'and indignation,
to oBferVe the aftenij^s that art made fere
to totatbis body of toen into ridicule.

One

MANNERS IN FRANCE, ftc loj

Oae of this pFofcflbn is never introtiu(,(;d:
on the ftftge but in ^ ridiculous character*.
Thia may give fatisf&£|tion to the princ?,
whoie power they have endeavoured to
liokit, or to though tlefs flavifli courtiers;
but ought to be viewed with horror by the
oation> for whofe good the gentlemen of
the long*-robe have hazarded fo mijfch ; for
in their oppofuioa to t,h0 court, mijich per-
ibnal darig^r was tp be feared, and no Iut
crative advantage to be reaped*

Thole who oppofe ttie ccttirt meafures in
cut ifland incur, I thaok Heaven, no per->
fonAl rifkon that account*-— —A member of
the Sritilh patliametit may launch his pa-
triotic bajrk in the moft perfed fecurity ;
<i^He may glide down the current of in*
vedivey fpread all his casnrast catch evory
l^lei arfid iail lor an hoinr or two upon fh<t
edge of trea&n, withouCaoy rifk of being
fucked into its whi^rlpooL But t;hpqgh he
has nothing J& fear, k is equally evident th^^

H 4 he

•s

I04 VIEW OF" SOCIETY AND

he has nothing to hope from fuch a voyage.
Qpp(^tion was formerly coniidered as a
means of gettidg into power: Mais noua
avons change tout cela. Let any one re«
collect the numbers who, with^ very mo^
derate abilities^ have crawled oh their knees
into office, aqd compare theta with the
numbers and fuccefs of thoife whb, armed
with genius and the artillery of doquerice,
attempt the places by ftorm;' if) after thisf
he joins the aflailants, he muft either a6%
from other motives than thofe of felf*inte«
reftf or betray bis ignorance ia (he calcula->
tion of chances.

' The fecurity, and. even the e^iftence, of
the Parliament of Paris, depe4d|6g entirely
on the pleafure> of the King, and. having
no other weapons, oi^^enfive or defenfives
but • juftice, argiunent, and reafon^ their
fate might have been forefeen — the ufual
fate of thofe who have no other artillery
to oppofe to po\fer:-T*The members were
difgr^cedi apd t|ie parliament abolifhed«

Thp

-1

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 105

The meafure was confidered as violent ; t}ie
exiles were regarded as martyrs ; the people
were aftoniflied and grieved. At lengthy
recovering from their furprife) they diffi-
pated the\r fprrow, as they do on all occa*
iions of great calamity^'*--'-! — by fome very
merry ipngs.

9 • * •

lee VIEW OF SOCIETY ANO

LETTER XV.

Paris.

Ti/[Y friend F- called on me a few

days fincei and as foon as he under«
ftood that I had no particular engagement,
he infifted that I fhould driv^ fomewhere
into the country) dine tSte-a-tete with him*
and return in time for the play.

When we had drove a few miles I per-
ceived a genteeUooking young fellow,
drefled in an old uniform. He fat under a
trect on the grafsy at a little diftance from
the road, and amufed himfelf by playing
on the violin. As we came nearer we per-
ceived he had a wooden leg, part of which
lay in fragments by his fide.

What

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c._ 107

What do you thefCj foltlier? faid the
Marquis.— *-I am on my l^ay home to m^
own village^ mon 6fEcier, faid the foldier.
•^But, my poor friend, refumed the Mar-
quis, you will he a furious long time be*
fore you arrive at your journey's end, if you
have ino other carriage befides thefe, point-
ing at the fragments of his wooden leg.—
I Wait for my equipage and all my fuite^
faid the foldier j and I am greatly tniftaken
if I do not fee them this moment coining
down the hill.

"V^e faw a kind of cart, drawn by otie
horfe, in which vras a womah, ^nd a pea-
sant who drove the horfe.^^Whilfe they
drew near, the foldier told us he had been
wounded in G>rfica-^that his leg had been
cut off— that before fetting oat on that ex •
pedition, he had been contraded to a young
woman in tlie neighbourhood— that the
laarriage haLd been poftpdned till his re«
turti;-^— ^but when he appeared with a
wooden ieg^ that all the girl's relations had

oppofed

id8 view op society and^

oppofed the match.— The g\xV$ mother,
who was her only furviying parent, when
he began his court(hip, had always been
his friend; but (he had died while he was
abroad.— The young woman herfelf, how*-
ever, remained conflant in her affections,
ycceived him with open arms, and had
{igreed to leave her relations, and accom^
patiy him to Paris, from whence they in-
tended to fet out in the 4iI>g^nce'to the
town where he was born, and where his
father ftill lived; -That on the way to
Paris his wooden leg had fnapped; which
had obliged his miftrefs to leave him^ anid
go to the next village in queft of a cart to
carry him thither> where he woi^ld remaia
till fuch time as the carpenter fhould renew
bis leg. — C'eft un malheur, paon officier,
concluded the foldier, qui fera bientpt re^
pare-^et voici mon amie! — »—

The girl fprang before the cart, feized
(he outfiretched hand of her lover, and.
told him with a fmile full of affedioQv

'n . ' K 'i t *

that

MAKHfiRS IN FRANCE, &c. io^

that (he had fecn an admirable carpenter^
who had promifed to make a leg that
would not break, that it would be ready bf
the morrow, and they might refumc thcif
journey a$ foon after as they pleafed.

The foldier received his miftrefs'd com^
pliment as it deferved.

She feemed about twenty years of age, a

beautiful, fine^fliaped girl a BrunettCf

whofe countenance indicated fentiment and
vivacity.

You muft be much fatigued, my. dear,

faid tie Marquis. On ne fe fatigue pas,

Monfieur, quand on travaille pour ce qu on
aime, replied the girl. — The foldier kifled
her hand with a gallant and tender air.—
When a woman has fixed her heart upon a
man, you fee, faid the Marquis, turning to
me, it is not a leg more or lefs that will
make her change her fentiments. — Nor was
it his legs, faid Fanchon, which made any
impreflion on my heart. If they had
made a little, however, faid the Marquis,

you

ti« VIi:W OF SOCIETY AN0

-> • '

ypu would not have beea fiqgular ia your
way of thinking J but allpas, continued hCf
addrcffing himfelf to pie— This girl is
quite charming-her lover has the appear-
ance of a brav^ fellow; -they have huj:
thrcjslegp betwixt them, and we have four;
—if you have no objeftion, th^ fliall have
the carriage, and we will follow on foot to
the next village^ and Tee what ^an be done
for thefe lover?. — I never agreed to a pro*
pofal with more pleafure in my life.

The foldier begaq to ms^ke difficulties
about entering into the vis-a-vis. — Come,
come, friend, faid the Marquis^ I am a Cor
loneU and it is your duty to obey: Get ia
without much ado, and your midrefs fhall
follow,

Entron^, mon boa ami, faid the girl,
iince thefe gentlemen infift upon ^oing us
fo much honour.

A girl like you would do honour to the
^aefl: coach in France. Nothing could
me more than to have It in my

power

MANNEIlS IN FRANCH;, &c. lU

power. to make you happy, faid the Mar*
4uis.-^Lai0ez moi faire, mon ColoneU faid
the foldier. Te fuis hereufe comme une
reine, laid Fanchon. — Away moved the
fhaifc, aiid the Marquis and I fpllowcd.

Voyez Y0U8> comhien nous fommes heu^
re9x Bous autrea Fran9ois a boa marchcy
iaid ,th^ M^^uis to met adding with a
{m\f9 le booheur, ^ ce qu on ma dit, eft
filus Cher ec^ Angleter re^ Biit, anfwered I,
how \m$ ^iU th^^ l^A ^^t^ thefe poor
feople ?--^Ah) pour le coup^ faid he, voilk
uae rellcixioa biea Angloife — that, indeed,
is what I cannot tell; neither do I know
how long you or I ,iiiay Uvej; biit I fancjr
it would be great folly to be forrowful
•thropgh life, becaufe we d<^ not know ho^
foDA miafortunes may: come, ^nd hecaufe
we are quite eertaio Uiat death ia to comf
«thift.

When we arrived at the inn to whi4i

we had ordered the poftilion to drive, we

. fcnmd the foldier and Fanchon, After hav«

6 ing

ttt VIEW OF* SOCIETY Al^!l

ing ordered fome victuals and wine-^Pray»
faid I to the foldier, how do you propofe
to maintain your wife and yourfclf ?-^Onc
who has contrived to live for five years on
foldier's pay, replied he, can have little dif*

• *

ficulty for the reft of his life. I can play
tolerably well on the fiddle, added he^ and
pethaps there is not a village in all France
of the fize, where there are fo many mar-
riages as in that ia which we are going to

fettle 1 fhall never want employment.

" ' -And I, faid Fanchon, can weave, hair
nets and filk purfes, and mend fipckiogs.
Befides, my uncle has two hundred livres
of mine in his handsi and although he is
brother-in-law to the BailifFi and volonfiers
brutaU yet I will make him pay it every
fous.-^And If faid the foldieti have fifteeo
iivres in my pocket; befides two louis that
I lent to a poor farmer to enable him to
pay the taxes, and which he will repay me
when he is able.

You

Manners in France, &c. 113

Vou fee, Sir, faid Fanchon to roe, that

vre are not objedls of compaffion. ^May

we not be happy, my good friend (turning
to her lover with a look of exquifite t?n-

dernefs), if it be not our own fault? If

you are not, ma douce amie! faid the fol-
dier with great warmth, je ferai bien 4
pjaindrc.— — I never felt a more charming
fenfation. — The tear* trembled in the Mar-
quis's eye.— —Ma foi, faid he to me» c'eft
une comedie larmoyante — -^-^Then, turning
to Fanchon, G)me hither, my dear, faid
he, till fuch time as you can get payment
of the two hundred livres, and my friend
here recovers his two louis, accept of this
from me, putting a purfe of louis into her
hand — I hope you will continue to love
your hufband, and to be loved by him,—
Let me know from time to time how your
affairs go on, and how I can ferve you.
This will inform you of my name, and
where I live. But if ever you do me the
pleafure of calling at my houfe at Paris,-—

Vol. I. I be

114 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

be furc to bring your hufband with you;
for I would not wiih to efteem you lefs or
love you more than I do this momeat*
Let me fee you fometimes; but always
bring your hufband along with you* -^ "« 1
fhall never be afraid to truft her with you,
faid the foldier:— She fhall fee you as often
as fhe pleafes, without my going with her.

It was by too much venturing (as your
ferjeant told me) that you lofl your leg,
my beft friend, faid Fanchon, with a fmile,
10 her lover. Monfieur le Colonel n'eft
que trop aimable. I fhall follow his ad-
vice literally, and when I have the honour
of waiting on him, you fhall always at-
tend me.

Heaven blefs you both, my good friends,
faid the Marquis; may he never know
what happinefs is who attempts to inter-
rupt your felicity !—— It fhall be my bufi-
nefs to find out fome employment for you,
my fellow-foldier, more profitable than
playing on the fiddle. In the mean time,

ftay

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. ir$

ftay here till a coach comest ^hich (hall
bring you both this night to Paris; my
fervant fhall provide lodgings for you, and
the bell furgeon for Wooden legs that can b6
found. When you are properly equipped,
let me fee you before you go home* Adieu^
my hoheft fellow j be kind to Fanfchon;
She feems to deferve your love, Adieu^
Fanchon; I (hall be happy to hear that
you are as fond of Dubois two years hence
as you are at prefetit. So faying, he (hook
Dubois by the hand, faluted Fanchon, pu(h«
ed me into the carriage before him, and
away We drove.

As we returned to town, he broke out
feveral times into warm praifes of Fan-
chon's beauty, which infpired me with
fome fufpicion that he might have further
views upon her.

I was fufficiently acquainted with his
free manner of life, and I had a little
before feen him on the point of being
married to one woman^ after he had ar-

I 2 ranged

116 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

ranged every thing, as he called it, with

another.

To fatisfy myfelf in this particular, I
qiieftioned him in a jocular ftyle on thi^
fuhjefl:.

No, my friend, faid he, Fanchon fhall
never be attempted by me. Though
I think her exceedingly pretty, and of that
kind of beauty too that is moft to my tafte ;
yet I am more charmed with her con-
ftancy to honeft Dubois, than with any
other thing about her: If fhe lofes that,
(he will lofe her greateft beauty in my
eyes. Had (he been fhackled to a morofe,
'exhaufted, jealous fellow, and delired a re-
drefs of grievances, the cafe would have
been different; but her heart is fixed upon
her old lover Dubois, who feems to be a
worthy man, and I dare fay will make her
happy. If I were inclined to try her, very
probably it would be in vain: — The con-
ftancy which has flood firm againft abfence,
and a cannon-ball, would not be overturned

8 by

MANNERS IN FRANCE, j^. 117

by the airs, the tinfel, and the jargon of a

petit-maitre. It gives me pleafure to

believe it would not, and I am determined
never to make the trial.

F- never appeared fo perfedly

amiable.

B called and fupped with me the
fame evening. I was too full of the ad-
venture of Fanchon and Dubois not to
mention it to him, with all the particu-
lars of the Marquis's behaviour. This

F" of yours, faid he, is an honeft fel-

low. Do— K:ontrive to let us dine with
him to-morrow.— —By the bye, continued
he after a little paufe, are not thofc
F" ' ' '"s originally from England? — I
think I have heard of fuch a name in York-
ihire.

Adieu.

liS, VIEW OF SOCIETY ANI>

LETTER XVI.

Paris.

T Am uneafy when I hear people aflert, '^

that mankind always ^&, from motives
of felf-intereft. It creates ^ fufpicion that
thofe who maintain this ryilem> judge Qf
othei;s by their own^ feelings. This con-;
clpfion, however, may be as erroneous a,8
thp general aflertipn;^ for I have b^ard. iji;
n>aintained (perhaps from afFeftatipijJ by
very difinterefted people, wfcp, whegi pufhr.
ed, could noti fuppprt thei,r argqmjent w.ijjj^n
out perverting the received meaning of
language.— Thofe who perform gener4>i)g
or apparently difinterefted anions, fay they,

are prompted by felfiOi motives by the

pleafure which they themfelves feel. «•

There are people who have this feeling fo
ilrong, that they cannot pafs a miferable

object

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 119

objeA without endeavouring to affift him. —
Such people really relieve themfelves when
the relieve the wretched.

All this is very true: but is it not k
ftrauge afiertioiis that people are not bene*-
volent, becaufe they cannot be other-
wife?

Two men arc (landing near a fruit-fliop
in St. James's-ftreet. There are fbme pine-
apples within the window, and a poor wo-*
man, with an infant crying at her empty
breaft, without. One of the gentlemen
wal^s in, pays a guinea for a pine-appky
which he calmly devours j while the wo-
man implores him for a penny, t6 buy her
a inorfel of bread — and implores in vain :
not that this fine gentleman values a penny ;
but to put his hand in his pocket would
give him fome trouble j*— the diftrefs of
the woman gives him none. The othei?
man happens to have a guinea in his pocket
alfo; he gii^es it to the woman, walks

I 4 homey

no VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

bome> and dines on beef* (lakes, with his
wife and children.

Without doing injuftice to the tafte of
the former, we may believe that the latter
received the greater gratification for his
guimea.' You will never convince me> ^
however, that his motive in beftowing it
was as felfiih as the other's.

Some few days after the adventure I
mentioned in my laft letter, I met F-r — p
and B ■ ■ at the opera. They had be-
come acquainted with ^ each other at my
lodgings two days before, according to
E- ^ s defire. — It gave me pleafure to fee
them on fo good a footing.

F invited us to go home and fit

an hour with him before we went to bed ^
-r—to which we affcnted.

The Marquis then told us, we fliould
have the pleafure of feeing Fanchon in her
beftgown, and Dubois with, his new leg—
for he had ordered his valet to invite them,

with

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. ut

With two or three of his companionsi to a
little fupper.

While the Marquis was fpeaking, his
coach drove up to the door of the opera—
where a well-known lady was at that mo-
ment waiting for her carriage.

B feemed to recoiled himfelf of a

fudden, faying, he muft be excufed from
going with US| having an aflFair of fome
importance to tranfaft at hom6.

The Marquis fmiled -fhook B

by the hand — faying, c'eft apparemraent
quelque affaire qui regacde la conftitu-
tion; vivent les Anglois pour I'amour
patriotique !

When we arrived at the Marquis's, the
fervants and their guefts were aflembled
in the little garden behind the hotel, and
dancing, by moon-light, to Dubois's
mufic.

He and Fanchon were invited to a glafs
pf wine iu the Marquis's parlour. — The

poor

laa VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

poor fellow's heart fwelled at the fight oi

his benefador. He attempted to expreiii

his gratitude; but his voice failed^ and he
could not articulate a word.

Vous n'avez pas a faire h des ingrats,
Monfieur le Colonel» faid Fanchon. My
hufband, . continued ihe, is more affeded
with your goodnefs, than he was by the
lofs of his leg» or the cruelty of my rela-
tions. She then, in a ferious manner^

with the voice of gratitude^ and in the Ian-*
guage of Nature, expre&d her own and her
huiband's obligations to the Marquis ; aad^

amongft others^ (he alluded to twenty louis
which her hufband had received de fa part

thai very afternoon, You intend to

make a faint of a finner^ my dear, faid^ the
Marquis, and to focceed the better,, yotf
invent falfe miracles, I know nothing. o£

the twenty louis you mention. B(U I

know a great deal ; for here they are in my
pocket, fays Dubois^r— The Marquis* ft ill
infifted they had not come from him. ■

The

MANNERS IN FRANCE, kc. laj

The foldicr then declared, that he had
called about one o'clock, to pay his duty
to Monfieur de F ■; but not fiuding

him at home, he was reiurning to hi^
lodgings, when, in the ftreet, he obferved
a gentleman looking at him with attention,
who fpon a^cofted him, demanding if hia
name was not Dubois ? If he had not loft
his leg at Corfica ? and feveral other quef-
tioas : which being anfwered in the affirm-
ative, he flipped twenty louis into hi»
handy telling him that it would help to
furnifli his houfe.- — ^Dubois in aftonilh-*
ment had escclaimed — Mon Dieu! voila
encore Monfieur de F " ' ■ ■ ' " v . Upon whicl^
the ftranger had replied : — Yes, he fends
you that by me: and immediately he turn-
ed into another ftreet^ and Dubois faw no
more of him.

We were all equally furprifed at the
fingularity of thifi Uttk adventure. On.
enquiring more p^uticularly about the ap«.

pearance

124 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND i

pearance of the ftranger, I was convinced
he could be no other than B

I remembered he had been afFedled with
the ftory of Dubois when I told it him.
You know B is not one of thofe, who

allow any emotions of that nature to pafs
unimproved, or to evaporate in fentiment.
He generally puts them to fome pradtical
ufe. — So having met Dubois accidentally ,
in the ftreet, he had made him this
fmall prefent, in the manner above re--
lated; and on his underftanding that
Dubois and Fanchon were at F— — — *s,
he had declined going, to avoid any expla-
nation on the fubjeft.

Had our friend B been a man of

fyftem, or much refledion, in his charity,
he would have confidered, that as the fol-
dier had already been taken good care of»
and was under the protection of a generous
man, there was no call for his interfering
in 'the bufmefsj and he would probably

have

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 125

have kept his twenty guineas for fome more
prefling occafion.

There are men in the world (and very
ufeful and moil: refpedable men no doubt
they are), who examine the pro's and the
con's before they decide upon the moft
indifferent occafion; who are direded in
all their adions by propriety, and by the
general received notions of duty* They
weigh, in the niceft fcales, every claim
that an acquaintance, a relation, or a
friend may hiive on them; and they en-
deavour to pay them on demand, as they
would a bill of exchange. They calcu-
late their income, and proportion every
expence; and hearing it aflcrted every
week from the pulpit, that there is ex-
ceeding good intereft to be paid one tiifae
or other, for the money that is given to
the poor, they rifk a little every year upon .
that venture. Their paffions and their \

affairs are always in excellent order ; they
walk through life undifturbed by the mif-

fortunes

126 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

fortunes of others. And when they come
to the end of their journey, they are de-
cently interred in a church-yard.

There is another fet of men, who never
calculate; for they are generally guided
by the heart, which never was taught
arithnlctic, and knows nothing of ac-
counts. Their heads have fcarcely a vote
in the choice of their acquaintances; and
Without the confent of* the heart, moft
certainly none in their friendftiips. They
perform afls of benevolence (without re-
coUeding that this is a duty) merely for
the pleafure they afford; and perhaps for-
get them, as they do their own pleafures^
when paft.

As for little occafional charities, thefe
are as natural to fuch characters as breath-
ing; and they claim as little merit for the
one as for the other, the whole fecm-

ing an affair of inftindt rather than of re-
flection.

That

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. la;

That the firft of thefe, two elafles of
men is the moil: ufeful in fociety; that
their affairs will be conduced with mod
circumfpedion ; that they will keep out
of many fcrapes and difEculties that the
others may fall into; and that they are
(if you infift upon it very violently)
the mod virtuous of the two, I fhall not
difpute: Yet for the foul of me I cannot
help preferring the other; for almoft all
the friends I have ever had in my life> arc
of the fecond clafs.

tftS VIEW OF SOCIETY ANO

LETTER XVir.

Pari9.

Jp'Onfidcring the natural gaiety and vo-
latility of the French nation, I have
often been furprifed at their fondnefs for
tragedy, efpecially as their tragedies are
barren of incident, full of long dialogue^
and declamatory fpeeches ;— and modelled
according to the flridefl: code of critical
legiflation.

The moft fprightly and fafhionable peo-
ple of both fexes flock to thefe entertain-
ments in preference to all others^ and
liften with unrelaxed gravity and attention.
One would imagine that fuch a ferious,
corredl> and uniform amufement, would
be more congenial with the phlegm, and
faturnine difpofitions of the Englifli, than

with

KlANNERS IN FRANCE, &c; tx^

%ith the gay, volatile temper of the
i^'renoh.

An Englifh atidience loves fliowj buftte,
and incident, in their tragedies ; and have

* •

a mortal averfion to long dialogues and

* • • ' •

^eeiches, however fine the fentiments, and
however beautiful the language 'may be*

in this, it would feem that the two ha«
tions had changed chaira^f^ers* Perhaps it
Woiild be difficult to accolint for it in a
fatisfadory manner. I fhall not attempt it.
A Freiichman would cut the matter fhortt
by faying, tiiat thd Pans audience has a
tooire correct and juft tafte than that of Lon-
don ; that the one. could ht amufed and de«
lighted with p&etry atid fentim^nt, while
the other could not be kept awake withoiit
buftle, guards, proceflions;^ trumpets, fight-
ing, and murder.

For my t>Wh part, I admirfe the French
Melpomene more in the clofet than on the
ftagc. I cannot be reconciled to the French
adots of tragedfi Their pompous manner

Vol. L K - of

130 VIEW OF SOt:i!ETY Al^D

of declaiming feems to me very imnatQiraU
The ftrut) and fuperb geftures, and vrhzX,
tbey call a maniere noble, of their boafted
Le Kaini appear^ in my eyes, a little outre.

The juftnefSy tbe dignified fimplicityi
the energy of Garrick's adion» *havfe de-
ftroyed my relifh for any mariner different
from his. That ex^aifite, but concealed
art, that magic power, by which his could
toelt, freeze, terrify the foul, and com-
mand the obedient pal^oris as he pleafed,
we look for in vain, upon our own, or any

other ftage.

What Horace faid of Nature may be
applied with equal juftice to that unri«
Vailed ador.

— Juvat, ant impellit ad iram,
Aut ad humum moerore gravi deducit, eC
angit*.

* Tranfports to rage : dilates the heart with miith^
Wrings the fad foul, and bends it down to earth.

Francis.

One

•v»

MXNKtHS m FRANCE^, tec. ^jt

^ One of the tnofi: difficult tbiogi in adiog
h th^pkyer^s coiJe^aUng hiinfeif bekind the
charaSer he aflumes c The inftant the fpec-
tatoi? gets a peep of him, the \rhole 'illufioa
vaniihes, and the pleafure is fucceeded by
difguft*' 'In OedJgud,' Mahomet^ and Orof-
tnane, I halve !al^ys-d^te€led Le Kainj
but r have feen tlie Englifli Hbfcius repre-

fent Hamlet, Lear,^ RichVrd, witliout recol-
ieSing that thete was fuch a perfon as David
Harriet in the wdrldi

The French tragedians are apt in my
opitiidti' to overft'^"if'e fliodejlf of nature.
Nature' is not the crtrerion by which their ,
merit* is to' h6 trieB*— The' audiehce ' mea-
fures*tliem by* a mdfe '"fabllme'ftandafd,
and if they come ^ot lip to that, they can-
not p'afs miifter.

Natural adiqn, "arid a natural elocution,
tjiey feem to thjnle iji.coiftpatjble with dig-
nity, ^ and imagine that the hero mufl: an-
nourice the greatnefs of his- foul by fuper-
«ilicHU8 looks, haughty geftures, and ahol-

K 2 low

*^y~k

^f 4 A .« «^ ^ /

132 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

low founding voice. Such ,eafy familiar
dialoguie as Hamlet holds with his old
fchool-fellow Horatio> appejjrs to them low,
vulgar, and inconfiftent with the dignity
of tragedy*

But if fimplicity of manners be not in-
confiftent in real life, with genius, and the
moft exalted greatnefs of mind» I do not
fee why the ador who reprefents a hero,

ihould aflume geftures which we have no
reafon to think were ever in ufe in any agCt
or among any rank of 'men.

Simplicity of manners^ however, is fo far

from being inconfiftent with magnanimity,

that the one for the moft part accompanies

the other. The French have fome reafon

to lean to this opinion ; for two of the

greateft men their nation ever produced

were remarkable for the fimplicity of their

manners. Henry IV. and Marechal Tu-

renne were diftinguiftied by that, as well

as by their magnanimity and other heroic

virtues.

How

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. ijj

How infinitely fuperior in real greatnefs
and intrinfic merit, were thofe men to the
ftrutting oflentatious Lewisy who was al-
ways affeding a greatnefs he never poflfefied,
"^till misfortune humbled his mind to the
fiandard of humanity? Then indeed, throw-
ing away his pageantry and blufter, he af-
fumed true dignity, and for the firfl: time
obtained the admiration of the judicibus.
In the correfpondence with de Torcy,
Iiewis's letters, which it is now certain
were written and compofed by himfelf,
prove this, and difplay a foundnefs of judg^
ment and real greatnefs of mind which kU
dom appeared in the meridian of what they
call his glory.

What Lewis was (in thq height of his
profperity) p Henry in the eflential quali-
ties of a King and Hero, fuch is Le Kaia
to Garrick as an a£fcor«

The French ftage can boaft at prefent of
more than one aftrefs who may difpute

K 3 the

134 yiEW 0¥. SOCIETY, Ann

the laurel of tragedy with Mrs.. Yates^' or
Mrs. Barry.*. j

ia comedy, rthel^rench adors excel, iand
can produce at all times a gteaVer -number
far above medfiocrity, than Are to be ^wnd
on the EngliiQi ftage.

The natioiial charadcr and manners of
the Freneh'give them \perhiaps advantages
in this line J and hefides, they have more
numerdus refources to fupply ^hem with

* ^ • «

aSors of every kind. In all the large
trading and manufaduring towns, of which
there are a great number in France, there
are playhoufes eftablilhed. The fame thing
takes place in moft of the frontier towns,
and wherever there is a garrifon of two Or
' three regimertts; ■ ^ *

• When thefe letters were firft publifhcdj^ Mrs. Siddons,

At whofe command our palfions rife or fall.
Obedient to the magic of her callj -

. had not appeared on the London itage. The juftnefsi dignity^
and energy of this charming woman's adion certainly never

'was furpaffed, if it ever was equalled^, on the French, *or
j^ijy other ftagc.

There

MANNERS IK FRANCE, &c. ijj

are companies; of Freoch come*
dians alib a« the northern courts^ in all the
large towns of Germany, and at hjnc of
the courtg of Italy. All of thefe are aca-
demiea which educate a&ors for the Paris

In genteel comedy particularly, I ima-
gine the French adors excel burs. They
have in general more the appearance of
people of fafliion.

There is not fuch a difference betweei^
the manners and behaviour of the people
of t|xe firA rank^ aad thofe of the middle
and lower ranks^ in France as in England.
Players, therefore, who wifli to catch the
mariners of people, of high rank and faftiion,
do not undertake fo great a tafk in the one
country as in the pther.

You very feldom meet with an Englifli
fervant who could pafs for a man of quality
or fa(Kion ; and accordingly very few peo-
ple who have tieen in that fituation ever ap-

K 4 P^^^

t36 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

pear on the Englifli flage : But there aF9
many vakts de place in Pit is fa very paltte^
fo completely poflefled of all the little etn
quettes, fashionable phra^fes^ and ufual airs
of the beau mnde^ that if they were fct off
by the ornaments of drefs and equipage,,
they would pafs in many of the courts of
Europe fpr men of fafhion, tres polis,-?-
bien aimable, — tout-a-fait comme il faut,
et avec infiniinent d'efprit \ and CQuld be

• _

deteded only at the court of France, or by
fuch foreigners as have had opportunities
of obferving, and penetration to diftinguifh,
the genuine eafe^ and natural politenefs>
which prevail ampng the people of rank ia
this country.

In the charader of a lively, petulant,
genteel petit- maftre of fajfhion, MolW ex-
cels any ador in London.

The fuperiority of the French in genteel
comedy is ftill more evident with regard
to the adreffes. Very few EngUfli adreffes
l^ave appeared equal to the* parts of Lady

Betty

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 137;

Jietty Modifli^ in The Carelefs Hufband,
or of Millamant, in The Way of the World.
Grofs abfurdit7» extravagant folly and
aSedation arq eafily imitated ; but the ele*
gant coquetry, the lively, playful, agrees
able affeftation of thefe two finely imagined
characters, require greater powers. I ima^^
gine» however, from the execution I have
obferved in fimilar parts, that there are fe-^
veral a&refies .on the French ^ge at prefent
who could do them ample juftice« Except
Mrs. Barry and Mrs. Abiogton, I know na
a^refs. in England who could give an ade^
quate ide^^ of fill that Gpn|;reye meant ia
Millamant.

It is remarkable, that the latter alfo eXf^
eels in a eharadler the mod perfedly oppo^^
fite to this, that of an ilhtaught, awkward,
country -girl. Perhaps there is no fuch
young lady in France as Congreve's Mifs
Prue : but if there were many fuch origi-
nals, no aClrefs in that kingdom could give
g copy more exauifite than Mrs. AbingtpnV

»38 yiEW OF SOCIETY AND

In low comedy die Preach are ddightfuL
I cao form no notion of any thing fnperior
to Preville in many of his paru.

The little French operas which are givect
at the Comedie Italienne^ are executed ia
a much more agreeable manner than any
thing of the fame kind at London. Their

ballettes alfo are more beautiful : — There \$
a gentilefie and legerete in their manner of
reprefentingthefe little fanciful pieces^ which
make our fingers and dancers appear fome-
what awkward and clumfy in the compariibn*
As for the Italian pieces^ diey are now
|)erformed only thrice a week^ and the
French feem to have lofti in a great meafure,
their reli(h for them. Carlin» the celebrated
Harlequin, is the only fupport of thefe
pieces. You are acquainted with the won-
derful naivete and comic powers of this
man, which makes us forget the extrava-
gance of the Italian drama, and which can
iCreate x^jc£ts of unbounded mirth» from a
$haos of the moft incoherent and abfui:d
materials*

BANNERS; IN FRANCE, *c. 13.9

An advantageous figure, a graceful man-
ner, a good voice, a ftrong memory, an ac-
curate judgment, are all required in a play-
cr : Senfibility, and the power of expreff-
ing the emotions of the heart by the voice
and features, are indifpenfable. It feems
therefore unreafonable^ not to confider that
profeffion as creditable, in which v^e ex«
ped fo many qualities united : while many
others are thought refpedable, in whidi
we 4(laiiy fee people arrive at eminence with*
oat common fenfe.

This prejudice is ftill ftrongar in France
than in EngTand. In a company where
Monf. le Kain was, mention happened to
be made, that the King of France had juft
granted a penfion to a certain fuperannuated
affcor* Aaa tjfEcer prefent, fixing his eyes
on Le Kain, exprcffed his. indignation at fo
ttittch bdng bedowed on. a irafcally player,
while he, himfelf had got nothing. Eh,
Monfieur ! retorted the aiftor, comptez-yous
pour rieft h Bberte de me parler ainfi ?

t4« VIEW OF SOCIETY ANI>

LETTER XVIIL

Geneva.

T Found myfelf fo much hurried during the
laft week of my day at Paris, that it waa
not in my power to write to you.

Ten thouiand little affairst which m^ht
have been arranged much better, and per«
formed with more eafe, had they been
tranfaded as they occurred, were all crowd-
ed, by the flotbful demon of procraftina*
tion, into the laft buftlmg week, and exe«
cmted in an imperfed manner.

I have often admired, without being able
perfedly to imitate, thofe who have the

happy talent of intermingling bufinefs with
amufeqient.

Pleafure and bufineffe contraft and give
ft reliih to eack Qtbert like day and night,

th9

MANNERS IN FRANCt, &c. 141

the conftaiit vicUEitudes of which are far
more delightful than an uniQterrupted half
year of either would be*

To pafs life in the moft agreeable man«
i2er> one ought not to be fo much a man of
pleafure as to poftpone any neceflary bufi<-
nefa ; nor fo much a man of bufinefs as to
defpife elegant amufement. A proper mix-
ture of both forms a more infallible fpeci^
fie againft tedium and fatigue, than a con«>
fiant regimen of the lAoft pleafant of the
two*

As foon as I found the Duke of Hamil«
ton difpofed to leave Paris, I made the ne-
ceflary arrangements for our departure, and
a few days after we began our journey*

PaflGng through Dijon, Chalons, Magon,
and a country delightful to behold, but tedi-
ous to defcribe, we arrived on the fourth
day at Lyons.

' After Paris, Lyons is the moft magnifi-
i cent town in France, enlivened by induilry,

enriched by commerce, beautified by wealth,
I and

J4a VIEW OF SOCIETY

and by it6 (ituation, ia the middle of a fer^
tik couQtry, and at the confli}<iice of the
Saone and the Rhoiie« The numbers of ia^
habitants aie efliiDated at 200,000^ The
theatre ia accounted the fincft ixt Franee ; and
all tfie luKUf ies. m Pam are to be &iiiid at
LyonSp though n^t m e(^l peifefitioo/

The maaners asod conisscrlatiojp^ of fipei^
chants and mamxfikdurers have. been gene-
laUy CQoiidered as peculiar to tfaem|i;jv:e8«
it is Terj certaiui that there. ia. a ftriking
di£Ference in thefe particulars between the
inhabitants of $11 H^p mmnf^^mmg and

commercial towijs of Britain^ and thofeoif
.W«ft»wfter. I cwild not repiarjc the faws
diflFereace betweeqt the mano^rs aiid addjri?^
of the people of Lyons and ther cottiers of
Verfailles itfelf. ...

There appeared to me a wonderful fi^i^
litude between the two. Itis probabki
Jbowever, that a Fr^nchu)^ yfml^ penceive
a difference where I could oot^ Atforeigoter
does not obferv/e the different acaaits in

I * which

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 145

vvliicb an Engli&main, a Scotdiman, and
an Irifhman fpeak Englifli; neither {per-
haps does he ah(crvc any difference between
the teannere and addreis of the inhabitants
of Briftol, and thofe of Qrofvenor-fquaFe,
^oogh all thefe af e obvions to a natire of
£ngland.

After a 'fliort ftay at Lyons, we pro^
ceeded to Geneva, and here we have re-
mained ^hefe three weeks, without feeling
the fmailleft inclination to iQiift the fcene.
That I fhdnld wi£h to remain liere is -n^
way fcirppi^ng, but it was hardly to ibe
expected &at the Duke of Hamilton would

have been of the fame mind.— Fortunately,
however, this is the Gafc.— I know nd
place on the continent to which we could
go wifh any ptobability of gaining by the
change : The opportunities of id^provement
here are -many, the amufements are few
in number, and of a moderate kind : The
hours glide along very fmoothly, and
though (hey are not always quickened by

pleafure,

14* VIEW or SOCIETY ANd

pleafure^ they are unretarded by langubf}
and unrufi^ed by remorfe*

A« for myfelf^ I have been fo very oftcil
and fo n^iferably difappointed in my hopes
of happinefs by changei that I ihall not,
without fome powerful motive, incline td
forego my prefent date of content, for the
chance of more exquifite enjoyments in a
different place or fituation*

I have at length learnt by my own eil-
perience (for not -one in twetity profits by
the experience of others)^ that one great
fource of vexation proceeds from our in*
dulging too fanguine hopes of enjoyment
from the bleilings we expedj and too much
indifference for thofe we poffefs. We
fcorn a tboufand fources of fatisfadion
which we might have had in the tnterimi
and permit our comfort to be diflurbedi
and our time to pafs unenjoyed^ from im«*
patience for fome imagined pleafure at a
diffance, which we may perhaps never ob«
taiuy or whichi when obtained, may change

iti

MANNERS IN FRANCE^ iic. .145

its nature^ and be no longer pleafure.
Young fays^

The prefeiit mdmfcnt, like a wife^ we fliuiij
And ne'er enjoy, becaufe it is our own.

The devil thus cheats men both out of
the enjoyment of this life and of that which

■

is to come, making us^ in the firft place,
prefer the pleafures of this life to thofe of
a future ilate, and then continually prefer
future pleafures in this life to thofe which
are prefent.

The fum of all thefe apophthegms
amoutits to this :— We fhall certainly re-
main at Geneva till we become more tired

of it than at prefenti

* ^ •

Vol. I.

t46 VIEW OF SOCIETY AMD

LETTER XIX^

Generau

np H E (ituatlon of Geneva is m many re-^
fpedfi as happy as the heart of man
could defire, or his imagination concdve.
The Rhone, ruihing out of the nobleft lake
in,£urope, flows through the middle of the
city, which is encircled by fertile fields^ cul-
tivated by the indufiry^ and adorned by the
riches and tafte> of the inhabitants*

The long ridge of ftiountains called
Mount Jura on the one fide> with the Alps,
the Glaciers of Savoy, and the fnowy head
of Mont Blanc on the other, ferve as boun-
daries to the mod charmingly variegated
landfcape that ever delighted the eye.

With thefe advantages in point of fitua-
tion, the citizens of Geneva enjoy freedom

untainted

MANKjEltg IM JFRANCEj ice, ^ t$f

teniamted by lioentioiaftiefs, ajord lecurity
unbottgbt by the b<vror8 of w«f »

The great aumber pf men of letteffl^
i¥ho eltber are oatives <)f the plaoe, •or have
chofea it for their refidence, the deqciilC
manners, the eafy circumftancea, and h««>
manedifpo^tions of the Genevois in gane-
rail render this city^nd its environs a very
defirable retreat for people of a philofophic
turo of mindj who are contented with mo-
derate and calm enjoyments^ have no local
attachments or domeftic reafons for pre*
ferring another country, and who wilh iji
a certain degree to retire from the buftle
of the world to a narrower and calmer
fcene, and there, for the reft of their days— •

Duccrc foKcitJe juctmda oblivia vitas **

^ education here is equally cheap and
liberal* the citizens of Geneva of both fexes

* Zti fWe9t*oblinony blifsful baTm,
The bufy cases 4if Hfe becalm. . .Fjiamci^*

L 9^ arc

148 VIEW Of SOCIETY AND

are remarkably well inftruded. I do not
imagine that any country in the world cail
produce an equal number of perfons (taken
without ele&ion from all degrees and pro-
fellions) with minds fo much cultivated as
the inhabitants of Geneva poflefs.

It is not uncommon to find mechanics
in the intervals of their labour amufing
themfelves with the works of Locke, Mon-

tefquieu, Newton, and other produdbions

of the fame kind.

When I fpeak of the cheapnefs of a li-
beral education^ I mean for the natives and

citizens only; for ftrangers now find every
thing dear at Geneva. Wherever Englilh-
xhen refort, this is the cafe. If they do not
find things dear> they foon make them fo.

The democratical nature of their govern-
ment infpires every citizen with an idea of
his own importance : He perceives that
no man in the republic can infult^ or even
negled him, with impunity.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, '&c. 149

It is an excellent circumftance in any
government, when the moft powerful man*
in the ftate has fomething to fear from the
mod feeble. This is the cafe here : The
itieanefl citizen of Geneva is poffeffed of
certain rights, which render him an objeft
dcferving the attention of the greateft. Be-
(ides, a confcioufnefs of this makes him re-
fpe^ himfelf }' a fentiment, which, within
proper bounds, has a tendency to render a
man refpeftable to others,

The general character of human nature
forbids us to expeft that men will always
adit fron* n^otives of public fpirit, without
an eye to private intereft. The beft form
of government, therefore^ is that in which
the intered of individuals is mod intimate-
ly blended witli the public good.— This
may be more perfeftly accomplifhed in a

fmall republic than in a great monarchy. —
In thefirfl:, rRen of genius and virtue are

• ■

difcovered and called to offices of truft by
the impartial admiration of th^eir fellow-

L 3 citizens--*

150 VIEW OF SOQIETY ANO

citizens — in the othf^rr the bigb^ft places
are difpofed of by tbe caprice, of the pr;nce»
or of bis miftrefSf or of thofe courtiers
kxule or female, wbo ve oeareft his perfon^
watch the variations of his bumour> and
know how to feize the fmiliog moments^
and turn them to their own advantage, or
that of their dependents. Montefquiei)
faySf that a fenfe of hoaour produpea the
fame effe£ts in a monarchy, that public fpi*
rit or patriotifm does in a republic : It n\\xii
be remembered, however, that tbe firfl, ac-
cording to the modern acceptation of the

word, is generally confined to the nobility
and gentry ; whereas public fpirit is a more
univerfal priiiciple, and fpreads through 2^11
the meniber§ of the commonwealth.

As far as I can judge, a fpirit of inde*
pendency and freedom, tempered by fenti-
ments of decency and the love order, ia«
fluence, in a moft remarkable manner, the;
minds of the fubjed^s of tbi? lupP7 XC^
public.

Before

MANNERS IN FRANCE, t(c. ^51

Before I knew tbem» I had formed aa
opinion, that the people of this place were
fanatical, gloomy-minded, and unfociable
as the puritans ia England^ and the prefby*
terians in Scotland were, during the civil
wars, and the reigns of Charles II. and his
brother. In this, however, I find I had
conceived a very erroneous notion*

There is not, I may venture to aflert, a
city in Europe where the minds of the
people are lefs under the influence of fuper-
ilition or fanatical enthufiafm than ai Ge^
neva. Servetus, were he now alive, would
pot run the imalleft rifk of perfecution.
The prefent clergy hpive, I am perfuaded^
as little the inclination as the power of mo^
lefting any perfon for fpeculative opiniom*
Should the Pope himfelf chufe this city
for a retreat, it would be his own fault if
he did not live in as much fecurity as at the
Vatican,

The clergy of Geneva in general are men
of fenfei learning, and moderation^ impreif^

L 4 ing

^52 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

ing upon the mind$ of their hearers the
tenets of Chriftianity with all the graces
of pulpit eloquence, and illuftrating the
efficacy of the do£trine by their cgndud^
in life.

The people of every ftatton in this place
attend fermons and the public worfhipwith
remarkable punduality. The Sunday ia
honoured with the tqoft refpeflful deco^
rum during the hours of divine fi^rvice ; but
as foon as that is over, all the ufual ^mure-^
ihents commence.

The public walks are crowded by all de-^
grees of people in their beft dreffes.—The
different focieties, and what they call circles,
aflemble in the houfes and gardens of indi-
viduals.'— They play at cards and at bowls,
and have parties upon the lake with mufic.

There is one cuftom univerfal here,, and,
as far as I know, peculiar to this place;
The parents form focieties for their chik
dren at a very mly period of their lives.
Thefe focieties confift of ten, a dozen, or

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 153^

more children of the fame fex^ and nearly
of the fame age and fituation in life. They
aflemble once a week in the houfes of the
different parents, who entertain the com-^
pany by turns with tea, coffee, bifcuits and
fruit ; and then leave the young aflembly

to the freedom of their own converfation.

This connexion is ftri£Uy kept up
through life, whatever alterations may take
place in the fituations or circumftances of
the individuals. And although they fhould
l^fterwards form new or preferable intima-
cies, they never entirely abandon this* fd-
ciety ; but, to the lateft period of their lives,
continue to pafs a few evenings every year
with the companions of their youth and
their earlieft friends.

The richer clafs of the citizens have
country houfes adjacent to the town, where
they pafs one half of the year. Thefc houfes
are all of them neat, and fome of them
fpleadid. One piec^ of magnificence they

poffefs

154 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

pofifefa ia greater perfe(^ion than the moft
iupcrb villa of the greateft lord in any
other part of the world can boaft» I mean
the profpe^); which alogioft all of them com-*
mand.— Thegiwrdea^ and vineyards of the
jrcppWic s-'^-Hhe Pa'ia de Vawx;— GenevA
with it8 lake jT-innnmerable country-feats j
«— caftles^ and little towns around the lake:
«-the valUes of Savoy, and the loftieft
mountains of the A}p&) all within one
fwcep of the eye*

Thofe whofe fortunes or employments
do not permit them to pafs the fummer in
the country, make frequent parties of plea-
fure upon the lake, and dine and fpend thQ
evening at fome of the villages in the envi-*
rons, where they aroufe themfelves with
mufic ^nd dancing.

Sometimes they form themfelves into
circles confifting of forty or fifty perfona^
iand purchafe or hire a hopfe and garden
liear the town, where they aflemble every

syfterQQon

MANNERS IN FRANCS, &c, 151

afternoon during the fummer, drink cofFeet
lemonade^ and other refrefhing liquors;
and dxav^ themfelvea with cardS} conver^i^
fatioii, and playing at bowls ;- a game very
different^ from that which goes by the fam^
(xame in j^gland; for her^, infi^d of
a fmooth level green, they often chufe
the rougheft and moft unequal piece of
ground. The player, inftead of rolling the
bowl, throws it in fuch a manner, that it
reds in the place where it firfl touches the
ground ; and if that be a fortunate fituation,
the ne:8:t player pitches his bowl diredly on
{lis adyerfary's, fp as to make that fpring
^way, while his own fixes itfelf in the fpot
from which the other has been diflodged.— *
Some of the citizens are aftoniihingly dex-
terous at this game» which is more com-
' plicated and interefting than the Engliih
manner of playing.

They generally continue thefe circles till
the duik of the evening, and the found of

the

J56 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

the drum from the ramparts call them to the
town ; land at that time the gatea are fhut,
after which no perfon can enter or go out,
the officer of the guiird not; having the
power to open them, without an order
from the Syndics, which is nor to be* 6b-^
tained but on fome great emergency v

JllANNERS IN PRANCE, kc. 157

L E T T E R XX.

Geneva.

^T^HE mildnefs of the climate, the
fublime beauties of the country, and
the agreeable manners of the inhabitants,
are not, in my opinion, the greateft attrac-
tions of this place.

Upon the fame hill, in the neighbour*
hood of Geneva, three Englifti families at
prefent refide, whofe focrety would render
any country agreeable.

The houfe of Mr. Neville is a temple of
hofpitality, good humour, and friendfhip.

Near to him lives your acquaintance Mr.
Upton. He perfectly anfwers your de-
fcription, lively, fenfible, and obliging;

- and, I imagine, happier than ever you

faw

158 VI£W O? SOCIETY AND

faw him» having fince that time drawd a
great prize in the matrimonial lottery.

Their nearefl neighbours are the family
of Mn Locke. This gentleman, his lady
and children, form one of the moft pleafing
piflures of domeftic felicity I ever beheld.
He himfelf is a man of refined tafte, a be-
nevolent mind, and elegant manners*

Thefe three families, who live in the
greateft cordiality with the citizens of Ge- ,
neva, their own countrymen, and one
another, render the hill of Colo^ny the
moft delightful place perhaps at this mo-
ment in the world.

The Englifh gentlemen who refide in
the town often refort hither, and mix
with parties of the beft comj^aay of
Geneva.

I am told, that our young eouatrymen

sever were on fo friendly and feciable a foot-^

ing with the citizens of this repoblic as ;at

prefentj owing in a great degree to the con-

6 ' ciliatory

MANNERS IN F&ANc£, &c- tSi

ciUatofy maimers of thefe three fansnies,
and to the great popularity of an Englifli
iid>lemaa9 who has lived with hin lady and
foa m this ftate for feverai years.

I formerly mentioned, tliat all who live
in town, muft rctorn from thfeit vifits in
tlic country at fun-fet, otherwife they afc
certain of being -flbut out; — the Genevois
being wonderfully jealous of the external,
as well as the internal enemies of their in-
dependency. This jealoufy has beeft tf anf-

m^tted from one generation to another,

» _

tyer fince the attempt made by the Dute
of Savoy, in the year 1602, to feize upon
the town.

He marched an army, In the middle of
a dark night, in the time of peace, to the
gates, applied fcaling ladders to the ram-
parts and walls, and having furprifed the
centinels, fevefal hundreds of the Sa-
voyard foldiers had adually got into the
town, and the reft were following, when

tb^y

,Uo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

they were at length difcovered by a wottfliii
who give tjxe alarm.

The Genevois ftafted frotn their fleep,
feized the rcadlcft arms they could find,
attacked the affailants with fpirit and
energy, killed numbers in the fl:re?t, drove
others out of the gate, or tumbled them
over the ramparts, and the few who
were taken prifoners, they beheaded next
morning, without further procefs or cere-
mony.

The Genevois annually diftinguifli the
. day on which this memorable exploit was
performed, as a day of public thankf-
giving and rejoicing.

It is called le Jour de TEfcalade. There is
divine worfhip in all the churches.-—
The clergymen, on this occafion, after

fermon, recapitulate all the circumftances

of this interefting event; put the audience
in mind of the gratitude thejr.owe to Di-
vine Providence, and to the valour of their
anceftofs, which faved them in fo remark-
able

!tfANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. i6i

ftble a manner from civil and religious
bondage J . enumerate the peculiar bleffings
which they enjoys and exhort them, in the
moft pathetic ftrain> to watch over their
liberties, remain fteady in their religion,
and tranfmit thefe, and all their other ad-
vantages, unimpaired to their pofterity*

- .The. evening of the Jour de TEfcaiade is
fpent in vifiting, fejifting, dancing, and all
Jfinds of^iverfions;. for the Genevois fel-
dom venture pn. great feftivity, till they
have previpufly performed their religious

duties In this, obferving the maxim

of the Pfalmift, — to join trembling with
. their mirth.

' ' '

The Stale keeps in pay a garrifon of
fix hundred mercenaries, who mount
guard and do duty every day. But they
do not truft the fafcty of the republic to
thefe alone. All citizens of Geneva are
foldiers. They are exercifed feveral hours,
.dai]iy» for two months, every fummer;
during which time they wear their uni-

Vol. I. M forms,

i6a VIEW or SOCIETY AND

forms, and at the end of that period are
reviewed hy the Syndics.

As they receive no pay, and as the ofii«
cers are their fellow-citizens, it cannot be
imagined that thefe troops will perform the
manual exercife and military evolotions,
with the exadnefs of fbldiers who have no
other occupation, and who are imder all
the rigour of military difcipline,

Neverthelefs they make a very refpedk-
able figure in the eyes even of difinterefted
Ipe^ators; who are, however, but few ih
number, the greater part confiding of their
own parents, wives, ^nd chUdren/ So, I
dare fwear, there are no trcbps in the
world, who, at k review, are tiefield
with more approbation ttian thofe of
Geneva.

Even a ftranger of a moderate (hate of
fenfibility, who r^ollefts the conneflioa
between the troops and the beholders, who
obferves the anxiety, the tendernefii, the
exultation^ and various movements of the

heart,

. •

MANN fins m f RAjrpfi, ice. 1.63

lieart) wU^h appear in the covintenan^es of
the fpeft&torst will find it difficult to h--
saain uaeoncerfated^ ■ But fympathifmg
with ^l around him> he will naturally
yield to the pleafing emotions^ and at
length behold the ijulitia of Geneva with
the eyes of a citizen of the repiiblic.

-Genevas like all free ilates, is expofed to
party-rage> and the puhlic harmony is fre<^
quendy interrupted by political fquabbles.
Without entering into a detail of the p,^-
ttcular difputes which agitate them at pre«
fent, I (hall tell you in general^ that one
part caf the dtlzens are accufed of a defign
of throwing aU the power into the hands
of a few families, and of eftablifliing a
. complete ariftocracy. The other oppofes
every meafure whidb is fuppofed to have
that tendency, and by their adverfaries are
accufed of feditious defigOtSw

It is difficult for ftrangers who refide
here any confiderable tmty to obferve a
neutrality. The £ngliih in particu*

M 9. lar

^ 164 VIEW OP SOCIETY AKD

lar are exceedingly difpofcd to take part
with one fide or other : and as the govern-
ment has not hitherto attempted to bribe
them, they generally attach themfelves to
the oppofition.

Walking one afternoon with a young

nobleman, who, to a ftrong tafte for natu-
ral philofophy, unites the moft paffionate
zeal for civil liberty,, we paiTed near the
garden^ in which one of thofe circles which

fupport the pretenfions of the magiftracy
affemble. I propofed joining them. No,
faid my Lord, with indignation; . I will
not go for a moment into fuch a Ibciety !
I cohfider thefe naen as the enemies of their
country, and that place as a focus; for con^
fuming freedom.

Among the citizens themfelves, political
altercations are carried on with great fire
and fpirit. A very worthy old gentleman, in
whofe houfe I have been often entertained
with great hofpitality, declaiming warmly
againil certain meafures of the council*

afferted,

MANNERS. IN FRANCE, &c. 165

aflferted, that all thofe who had promoted
them deferved death; and if it depended
on himi they fhould all be hanged with-
out lofs of time. His brother, who was
in that predicament^ interrupted him, and
faid, with a tone of voice which feemed to
beg for mercy> Good God ! brother ! furely
you would not pufli your refentment fo far :
you would not a£tually hang them? Out
aflurement, replied the patriot, with a de-
termined countenance, et vous, mon tres
cher frere, vous feriez le premier pendu
pour montrer mon impartialitc.

i«fr VIEW 67 SOCIETY ANDf

t E T T 6 R XXt

Geneva*

A l-THOUGH thiB republic has long
to&tiaued in a profound peace^ and
thete k no gr^at probability of it^ being
foon engaged in bloody confltd) yef fbe
citizens of Geneva are fiot the left fond of
the pomp of war.

This appears in what they call their mi-
litary feafts, which are thtir moft favourite
amufementSy and which they take every
opportunity of enjoyipg.

I was prefent lately at a very grand en-
tertainment of this kind, which was given
by the King of the Arquebufiers upon his
acceffion to the royal dignity.

7 This

MANNERS IN FRANQE, ^c. iSj

This envied rack is neither tranfmitted
by hereditary right, nor obtained by elec^
tion; but gained by ikill and real merit.

A war with this ftatei like the war of
Troy, muft neceflarily confift of a fiege#
The (kilful ufe of the cannon and arquebufe
is therefore thought to be of the greateft
importance. During feveral months every
year^ a qonfiderable number of the citizens
are almoft conflantly employed in firing at
a marki which is placed at a proper di«
fiance.

Any citizen has a right, at a fmall ez«
pence, to make trial of his ikill in this
way} and after a due number of trials,
the mod Expert markfman is declared
King.

There has not been a coronation of this
kind thefe ten years, his late Majefty hav-
ing kept peaceable pofleflion of the throne
during that period. ]3ut this fummer,
Mr. Mofes Maudrier was found to excel in
&ill every competitor; and was raifed to

M 4 the

168 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

the throne by the unanimous voice of the
judges.

He was attended to his own houfe from
the neld of conteft by the Syndics, amidft
the acclamations of the people. Some time
after this, on the day of his feaft, a camp
was formed on a plain, without the gates
of the city*

Here the whole forces of the republic,
both horfe and foot, were affembled, an4
divided into two diftind: armies. They
were to perform a battle in honour of his
Majefty, all the combatants having previ-

oufly ftudied their parts.

«
This very ingenious, warlike drama had

been compofed by one of the reveren4

minifters, who is faid to poffefs a very eif^

tenfive military genius.

That the ladies and people of diftincr
tion, who were not to be adually engaged,
might view the adicn with the greater eafe
anfl fafety, a large amphitheatre of feat?

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &«• %6%

was prepared for them at a convenient
diftance from the field of battle.

Every thing being in readinefs, the Syn-
dics, the Council, ftrangers of diftindion,
and the relations and favourites of the King,
aflfembled at his Majefly's palace, which is
a little fnug houfe, fituatedin a narrow lane
in the. lower part of the city. From the
palace, the proceffion fet out in the follow-
ing order :

His Majefty walked firft, fupported by
the two eldeft Syndics*

In the next rank was the Puke of H— «
with the youngeft.

After thefe, walked Lord Stanhope, the
prince Gallitzen,— .Mr. Clive, fon to Lord
Clivej Mr. Grenville, fon to the late Mi-
pifter; Mr.. St. Leger, and many other
^ngliih gentlemen, who had been invited
to the feaft.

Next to them came the Council of twen-
ty^five ; and the proceffion was clofed by the
lying's particular friends and relations.

17^ VIEW OP SOCIETY AKD

la thk order they marched through the
titff preceded by a band of mufiCy who^
flayed, aa you may believe, the moft
martial tunea they pofllbly could thmk

When this compaoy came to the field
where the troops were drawn up, they
were faluted by the officers; and having
made a complete circuit of both armiesi
the King and all his attendants took their
&ats at the amphitheatre, whidi had been
prepared for that purpofe.

The impatience of the troops had been
Tery vifible for fome time. When the
King was feated^ their ardour could be no
lofiger reilrained* They called loudly to
fkm officers to lead them to glory.
The fignal was given* — They advanced to
the attack in the mod undaunted man-

cer. Confcious that they fought under

the eyes of their King, the Syndics, of
their wives* children, mothers, and grand'
mothers^ they.difiiained the thoughts of

retreat.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c« f^f

retreat— *Thcy ftood imdifturbed by
the tbickeft fire. They fmiled at the
soaring of the cannon, and, like the horfe
in Job, they cried among the trumpets,
Ha, hal

The ingemws author of the battle had
taken care to diverfify it with feveral ca-
ter taiaing incidents.

An ambufcade was placed by one of the
armies, behind fome trees, to furprife the
enemy.— —This fucceed^ to a miracle,
dtliough the ambufcade was pofted in the
fight of both armiesi and all the fpeda*
tors*

A convoy with provifions, advancing
towards one of the armies, was attacked
by a detachment from the other; and after
a fmart fidrmifli, one half of the waggons
^ere carried away by the aflfailants : — The
other remained with the troops for whom
they feemed to have been originally in-
tended.

A wooden

tj% VIEW OF SOCIETY AND.

A wooden bridge was brifkly aUacked»,
and u refolutely defended } but at length
was trod to pieces by. both armies; for, in,
the fury of the fight, the combatants for*
got whether this poor bridge was . their
friend or their foe. By what means it got
into the midfl of the battle, I never could
conceive; for there was neither rivera
brook, nor ditch in the whole field.

The cavalry on both ildes performed

wonders. It was difficult to determine.

which of the generals diftingiiifh^d bim-^

felf moft. Th?y were both dreffed in.

clothes exuberantly covered with Uce;
for the fumptuary laws were fufpended for
this day, that the battle might be as mag^
nificent as poffible.

As neither of thefe gallant commanders
would confent to the being defeated, the
reverend author of the engagement could
not make the cataftrophe fo decifive and
afFediDg as he iateaded.

WhUe

MANNERS \n FRANCEI, &c. iff

While Vi(3:ory, with equipoifed wings,
hovered over both armies, a meflfenger ar-*
rived from the town-hall with intelligence
that dinner was ready* Thia news quickly
fpread among the combatants, and had an
efFeft firailar to that^which the Sabine wo-
men produced when they ruftied between
their traVifliers and their relations.— -The
warriors of Geneva relented at once; and
.bothacmies fufpended their animofity, . in
the contemplation of that which they both

loved. They threw down their a.rm§^

fliook hands, and were friends.

- ■ ^

Thus ended the battle. -I don't know

how it will afFed you; but it, has fatigued
mefo completely, that I have loft allappe*-
;,tite for the feaft, which rauft therefore be
delayed till another poft.

' ■ t

$J4 VIEW OF S<^IETy AN©

LETTER XXin

Gen^9»

^TPHE fame company which had attended
the King to the field of battle^ marched
with him in proceffion from tibat to the
Maifon de Ville^ where a fumptuous en-
tertainment was prepared.

This was exadbly the reverie of a fSte--
champetre, being held in the town-houfe,
and in the middle of the ftreete adjacent;
where tables were covered, and dinner pro-^
Tided, for feveral hundreds of the officers
and foldiers.

The King, the Syndics, moft of the
members pf the Q)uncil, and all the flraa«
gers, dined id the town-hall. The other
rooms, as well as the outer court, were
likewife full of company.

There

MANNERS IN FRANCE, fcc. lyj

Thtrt wat much greater havoc at dia-
ler than had been at the battle^ aad the
e'ntertaiitmeftt in other tc^e&s was is^zxlj
as warlike.

A kettle-drum was jpkded m the middl<!
lof the hall, upon winch a ihai'tial flaurt(H
'was performed at every toaft. This Was
iinmediately atifwered by the ^rums aad
trumpets without the hall, and the oaanoa
of the baftion.

Pro^ierity to the republic is a favourite'
ti^ft:— When this was aainounced by the
firft Syndic, all the company flood up with ^

their fwor^is drawn in one hand, and glafl<3S
filled with wine in the other.

Having drank the toafl, they cla&ed their
fwoids, a ceremony always performed ki
cverjr circfc or dub tvhere there is a pub-
lic dinner, as ^ften as tl^s par ticdkr toaKft
is named> ■ 'It is an old cuftom^ and im«
pfies that every man is ready to fight in
defence of the republic. *

After

17$ VIEW Ot SOCIETY AND

After we bad been about two hour* at
table, a new ceremony took place, which I
expected as little in the middle of a feaiL
An hundred grenadiers, with their fwordft
drawn, marched with great fblemdity Into
the middle of the hall, for the tables being
placed in the form of a horfe-illoe, there
was vacant fpace in the middle fufficieat to
admit them^

They defired permiffion to give a tdaff:
This being granted, each of the grenadiers*
by a well timed movement,* like a motion
in the exercife, pulled from his pocket a
large water glafs, which being immediately
filled with wine, one of the foldiers^ in the
name of all, drank a health to King Mofes
the firft. His example was fallowed by his
companions and all the Company,' and was
inftantly honoured by the found of the
drums, trumpets, and artillery^

When the grenadiers had dratik this>
and a toaft or two more, they wheeled
aboutf aad marched out of the hall with

the

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 177

the fame folemnity with which they had
entered, refuming their places at the tables
in the ftireet; . ,

Soon after this a man fantaftically drefled
entered the hall, and diftributed among the
company fome printed fheets which feemed
to have come diredly froin the prefs.

: This proved t6 be a fong thade for the
occafioni replete with gaiety^ witj and
good fenfe, pointing out, in a humorous
firaio» the advantages which the citizens of

Geheva pofrefled,and exhorting them to un»

* • » •

anittiity, induftry, and public fpirit. — ^Tbis

ditty was fung by the nian who brought itt
while many of the company joined in the
chorus.

When we defcebded from the towii-halU

... • . . . , .

we found the foldiers intermingled with
their officers, ftill feated at the tables in
the ftreets, and encircled by their wives
and children.

They all arofe foon after, and dividing
into different companies^ repaired to the

Vol. L N ramparts,

iy8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AHD

ramparts^ the fielda^ and the gardens^
where^ with mufic and dancingi thkf coti'^
tinned in h!gh glee during the refi^ of the
evening.

The whole exhibition of the day, thoBgh
no very juftreprefentationof the n^tHeuvres
of war> or the elegance of a eontt eoCer^
tatnmear^ formed the moft lively piftiire
of jollity, nairth, good<»hunK)ur audi ccMrdi<i«
ality, that I had ever feen*

The inhabitants of a vrhole city,-*-of at
whole ftate if you pleafe, united in one
fcene of good fellowfhip, like a fingld fa-
mily, is furely no common fight.

If this fketch conveys one half of the
fatisfadtion to your mind, which thCvfcenc
itfelf afforded mine, you will not think
thefe two long letters tedious.

Manners in France, &c. 179

t E T T E R XXin,

Geneva.

THER^£ 4re ^mit cE the chizens of
GeoevA themielvev t(^ho deride the
little miliury eftablilhmekt of the repub-
lie, and declare it to be highly ridiculous in
foch A f^el4e ftate to prefume thtt thef
could defefid tbetnfelvefif* The very ideai of
itiiftance agaiftft Saroy «^r S^ratice^chey hold

da abfurd;

.♦

They feem to take pfeatiire in tridttrfy-
ing their coufltrymen, affuring theirij that
in cafe of aij attack all their efforts would
be fruitlefs, and their garrifon uhable to
ftand a (iege of ten days.

Thefe politicians declainpi againfi: the
needlefs expence of keeping the fortifica-
tions in repair, and they calculate the mo-

N 2 ney

180 VIEW OF SOCIETY AKO

- tf

}

ney loft^ by fo many manufadurers being
employed in wielding ufelefs firelocksi
inftead of the tools of their refpedire pro-
feffions.

Were 1 a member of this republic, I
fhould have no patience with thefe difcou*
raging malcontents, who endeavour to de*
prefs the * minds of thdx countrymen, and
embitter a fource of real enjoyment*

I am convmced that the garrifoni fmall
as it is, aided by the zeal of the inhabitaatSf
and regulated by that (hare of difcipline
which their fituation admits, would be fuf-
ficient to fecure them from a coup-de-main,
or any immediate infult, and might enable
them to defend the town from the attempts
of any one of the neighbouring ftates, till
they ihould receive fuccour from fome of
the others.

Independent of thefe confiderations, the
ramparts ^e moft agreeable walks, conve-
nient for the inhabitants, and ornamental
to the city.

The

MANNERS IN FRANCE, kc. i8r

The exercifiDg and reviewing the militia
form an innocent and agreeable fpedacle to
the women and children, contribute to the

health and amufement of the troops them*

(elves, and infpire the inhabitants in general
with the pleafing ideas of fecurity and of
their own importance*

Upon the whole, I am convinced that the
fortifications, and the militia of Geneva«
produce more happinefs, in thefe various
ways taken together, than could be pur*
chafed by all the money they coft) expended
in any other manner.

This I imagine is more than can be faid
in favour of the greater part of tlie ftand*
ing armies on the continent of Europet
whofe numbers feCure the defpotifm of the
prince, whofe maintenance is a moft fevere
burden upon the countries which fupport
them» and whofe difcipline, inftead of ex-
citing pleafing emotions^iimprefles the mind
vr^th horyon

N 4 Tha

«<a VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

■

The individuaU who compafe thofe ar-
mies are miferable, by the tyraiiny esercifei}
oti thenif and* are themielves the caufeof
jpifery to their fellow'-citizeos by the ty^
raooy they ^xercife^

BjuC it will be Xaid they defend the na-
tion from foreign eqemies.— -Ala^ ! could n
foreign conqueror occaficMi more wretched-
nefs than fuch defenders ?— When be
who calls himfelf my protestor has Gripped
me of my property^ and deprived me of my
freedom^ I cannot return Jbim very cordial
thanks^ when he tells me, that he will de->
fend me from every other robber.

The mod folid fecurity which this little
yepublic has for its independencyt is found-
ed on the mutual jealoufy of its neigh-«
hours.

There is na danger of its meeting wath
the misfortune which has fo lately he£illen
Poland.-'-GeneTa is fudh an nfom of a ftate
as not to be divifible.

. MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c, i«3

It fervcs, however^ as a kind of barrier
or alarm-poft to the Swifs Cantons, particu*
larly that of Bern, which certainly would
not like to fee it in the hands either of the
King of France or of Sardinia*

The acquifition is not worth the atten-
tion- of the firft;. and it is better for
the fecond, that the republic Ihould re-
main in its prefent free and independ-
ent fituation, than that it Ihould revert

to his pofleffion, and be fubjeded to the
fame government with his other domi-
nions.

For no fooner would Geneva be in the
poffeffien of Sardinia, than the weaithieft
of the citizens would abandon it, and carry
their families and riches to Switzerland^
Hollaad, or England,

Trade and manufadures would dwindle
with the fpirit and independence of the in-
liabitants; and the flourifliing, enlightened,
happy city of Geneva, like other towns of
Piedmont and Savoy, would become the

N j^ refidence

i84 VIJSWQF 50CI15TY AND

refideace of pppreifipQ, fuperftitiony zjxd
poverty.

In this fituation it could add but little to
the K-ing's revenue; whereas, 2i,% prefent,
the peafants of his dominions refort in grea(
©umbers to Geneva every market-day,
where they find a ready fal? for a|l the proH^
dudions of their farqis. T|ie land is, pi)
this account, more valuable9' and (he pei^-
fants are more at their eafe, though the
taxes are very hig^h, than in any other part
of Savoy.

This republic, therefore, in its prefeii^t
independent ftatp, is of more ufe tQ the King
of Sardinia, th^n if it wpre Jii* property.

If a wealthy mer^hatit ihould purchafe 21
pif ce of ground from a pppr Lord, build tfi
large houfe, and form^ beautiful gardens
upon it, keep a number of ferv^ts, fpend
a great ps^rt of bis revenue in good houf^-
keeping and hofpitality, the confumpp
tion of his table, and many other article?,
being purchafed from this Lord's tenants.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. |8|
it is evident that they Tyqulcl become rich,

find be able to pay a larger rent to their
landlord. This Lord would certainly a£l
againft his oWn intereft, if he attempted,
by law^ chicane, or force, to difpoffefs the
proprietor of the houfe and gardens.

The free republic of Geneva is to the
King of Sardinia, exactly what the fup-
pofed rich man would be to the poor Lord*

It affords me fatisfaftion to perceive, that
the ftability of this little fabric of freedom,
raifed hy my friends the citizens of Ge-
neva, does not depend on the juflice and
moderation of the neighbouring powers, or
^y equivocal fupport ; but is founded on,
the foUd, lafting pillars of their mutual ixxr

tS6 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANB>

LETTER XXIV.

Geneva.

T Returned a few days (ince from a jour-
ney to the Glaciers of Savoy, the Pays
de Vallaisi and other places among the
Alps.

The wonderful accounts I had heard of
the Glaciers had excited my curiofity (i
good deal, while the air of fuperiority , af-
fumed by fome who had m,ade this boafied
tour, piqued nay pride ilill more«

One could hardly memion any thitig
curious or Angular, without being told by
fome of thofe travellers, with an air of cool
contempt — Dear Sir,-^-that is pretty well ;
but, take my word for it, it is nothing to
the Glaciers of Savoy.

' I determined at lad: not to take their
word for it, and I found fome gentlemen

MANNERS IN FRANCE, kc. 187

pf the ikme way of thinking. TJjc party con*
lifted of the Duke of Hamilton^ Mr. Uptoq,
Mr. Grenville» Mr. Kennedyi and myfelf*

We left Geneva early in the morning of
the third of Auguft, and breakfafted at
Bonnevillei a imall town in the duchy of
jSatoy, fituated at the foot of Mole# .and on
-the banks of the river Arve.

The fummit of Mole, as we were told,
is about 4600 Englifli feet above the lake
of Geneva, at the lower paifage of die
Rhone, which laft is about 1 200 feet above
the level of the Mediterranean. For thefe
particulars, I iliall take the word of my in-
-former, whatever airs of fuperiority he may
' aflume on the difcovery.

From Boimeville we proceeded toClufe
by a road tolerably good, and highly en-
tertaining on account of the Angularity
and variety of landfcape to be feen from it*
The obgefts change their appearance every
mometU as you advance, for the path is
comtinually winding, to humour the pofition

i88 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

of the mountains) and to gain an accefs be^
tween the rocks, which in fome places
hang over it in a very threatening manner.
The mountains overlook and prefs fo clofely
upon this little town of Clufe, that when
I flood in the principal ftreeti each end of
it feemed to be perfedlly ihut up; and
wherever any of the houfes had fallen down>

the vacancy appeared to the eye, at a mo*-
derate diflance, to be plugged up in tl^e
fame manner by a green mo\intairi.

On leaving Qufe^ however, we found a
well-made road running along the banks qf
the Arve, and flanked on each fide by very
high hills, whofe oppofite fides tally fo ex-
adlly, as to lead one to imagine they haye
been torn from each other by fom^ vic^en^
convulfion of «nature.

In other places one fide of this defile i$
a high perpendicular rock, fo very fmooth
that it feems not to have been torn by na-
ture, but chifelled by art, from top to hot-

MAKNERS in FRANCE^ &c. i^0

torn, while the whole of the fide dlredly
pppofite is of the mod fmiling verdure.

The paflkge between the mountains gra-
dually opens as you advance, and the fcene
diverfifies with a fine luxuriancy of wild
landfcape.

. Before you jenter the town of Sallenche^
you muft crpfs the Arve» which at this fea«
ion is much larger than in winter, being
£woln by the difiblving fnows of the Alps.

i This river has its fdurce at the parifli of
Argentiere, in the valley of Chamouni^ is
immediately augmented by torrents from
the neighbouring Glaciers, and pours its
chill turbid ftream into the Rhone, foon
after that river ifiues from the lake of
Geneva.

The contraft between thofe two rivers is
very ftriking, the one being as pure and
limpid as the other is foul and muddy.
The Rhone feems to fcorn the alliance, and
keeps as long as pofiible unmingled with
his dirty fpoufe. Two miles below the

place

t^ VIEW 01? SOCIETY AND

place of their junction, a diflFerence ana
oppofition between this ill*forted couple
18 ftill obfervaible; thefe> howerer, gra-
dually abate by* long habit^ till at lafi^ yldd^
ing to neceffity, and to thofe tmrdemiDgf
laws which joined them together, they te&t
in perfeA uoicM^ afid flow in ai comioon

fiieaca to the ^idof thdr ttiwie.

We pafled th«^ nlg^t at Sallenche, zhi
tberemttning part of our joumdy not ad^

ttitting of (haifes^ they were ferit back to
Geneva^ with Orders to the drivers^ to go
round by the othet fide of the kke^ and
meet us at the village of Mart^ny, in dke
Pays de Vallais.

We aigreed with a muleteer at Sallenche,
who provided mules to carry us o^&c the
mountains to Martigny* It is a good day's
journey from Sallenche to Chamonni^ not
on account of the diftance, but from tlK^.
difficulty and perplexity of the road, and
the ileep afcents and defcents with which
you are teafed alternately the whole way^

Some

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 191

Some of the mountains are covered with
jnne, oak, beech, and walnut trees. Thefe
Sre intcrfperfed with apple, plum, cherry,
and other fruit trees, fo that we rode a great
part of the forenoon in fhade.

Befides the refrefhing coolnefs this occa-
fionedy it was moil agreeable to me on an-
other account, the road was in fome
places fo exceedingry fteep, that I never
dotibted but fome of us were to fall; I
therefore refledied With^ fatisfaftion, that
thofe trees would probably arreft our courfe,
and hinder us fjfom rolling a great way.

But many pathlefs craggy mountains re-
iftalned to be traverfed after we had loft
the protedion of the trees. We then had
nothing* but the fagacity of our mules to
truft to.' For* my own part, I was very
foon convinced that it was much fafer on
all dubious occafions to depend on their's
than on my own : For as often as I was
prefented with a choice of difficulties^ and
the mule and I were of different opinions,

j5 if^

igd VIEW dF SOCIETY ANB

ifi becoming mdre obfliaate than he, I in«
fifted on his taking my track, I never failed
to repent it, and often was obliged to re-
turn to the place where the cdntroverfy had
begub) and follow the path to which he
had pointed at firft.

It is entertaining to obferve the prudence
of thefe animak in making their way dowa
fuch dangerous rocks. They fometimes
put their heads over the edge of the preci*
picC) and examine with anxious circum-^
fpedion every poflible way by which they
caa defcend, and at length are fure to fix
on that which upon the whole is the beft.
Having obferved this in feveral inftances, I
laid the bridle on tihie neck of my mulei and
allowed him to take his own way, without
prefuming to contioul him in the imalleft
degree.

This is doubtlefs the bed method> and
what I recommend to all my friends in
their journey through life, when they have
mules for their companions.

MANNERS IN FRAN.CE, &c. 193

We refted fome time, during the fultry
heat of the day, at a very pleafingly fituated
village called Serve; and afcending thence
along the fteepeft and rougheft road we had
yet feen, we paffed by a mountain, wherein,
they told us, there is a rich vein of copper,
but that the proprietors have left off work-
ing it for many years.

As we pafled through one little village,
I faw many peafants going into a church*
—It was fome Saint's day.— —The poor
people muft have half-ruined themfelves
by purchafing gold-leaf. — Every thing was
gilded. — The virgin was dreflcd in a new
gowti of gold paper ; the infant in her
arms was equally brilliant, all but the peri-
wig on his head, which was milk-white,
and had certainly been frefh powdered that
very morning.

: I could fcarctly refrain from fmiling at

'this ridiculous fight, which the people be-

'held with as much veneration as they could

have fliewn,had the originals been prefent.

Vol, L O Upon

t94 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Upon cafting up my eyes to the cieling,
I faw fomethlng more extraordinary ftill :
This was a portrait of God the Father, fit-
ting on a cloud, and dreffed like a Pope^
vrith the tiara on his head* Any one muft
naturally fafe ihocked at this^ if he be not
at the fame inftant moved to laughter at the
infinite abfurdity of the idea.

About fix in the evening we arrived at
the valley of Chamouni, and found lodg*-
ings in a fmall village called Prieurc. The
valley of Chamouni is about fix leagues ia
length, and an Englifii mile in breadth, k
is bounded on all fides. by very high moun-
tains. Between the intervals of thefe
mountain s> on one fide of the valley, the
vaft bo(?i*s of fnow and ice, which arc
called Glaciers, defcend from Moat Blaoc^
which is their fourcet

On one fide of the valley, c^ofite to the
Glaciers, fiands Breven, a mountain whole
lidge is 5300 Englifh feet higher than the
valley. Many travellers^ who have more

..furifl^ty>

MANKEAS 11^ FRANCE, &c; 195

curiofity, and who think Icfs of fatigue thail
tf c, take their firft view of the Glaciers froni
the top of Mount Breven. As thete is only
the narrow valley between that and the
Glacier^ all of which it overlooks, and
every other objeft around, except Mont
Blanc, the view from it muft be very ad-
vantageouis and magnificent.

We determined', to, begin with Montari-
Vert, from which we could walk to the
Glaciers, referving Mount Breven for ano-
other day*8 work> if we fliould find ourfplves
fo indinedl After an hour*s refrefliment
at our qnatters, Mr* Kennedy and I took
a walk through the valley.

The chapter of Priefts and Canons of
Sallenche have the Lordfliip of Chamoum,
and draw a revenue from the poor inhabit-
ants ; the highefi: mountains of the AIps#
with all their ice and fnow, not bdng fuffi-
cient to defend them from rapacity and
extortion.

O i The

1^6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

The prieft's houfe is beyond coinp2[rifon

the beft in the whole valley. Looking at

it, I alked a young man who ftood near

me, if the prieft was rich ?
*
Oui, Monfieur, horriblement, — replied

be,— et auffi il . mange prefque tout notrc
ble.

I then afked, if the people of Chamouni
wifhed to get rid of him ?

Oui, bien de celuici — mais il faut avoir
un autre.

I do not fee the abfolute ncceffity of that,

faid I. Confider, if you had no prieft^

you would have more to eat.

The lad flared then anfwered with
great naivete- — Ah, Monfieur, dans ce pays-
ci les pretres font tout auffi nece0aries que ,

le manger.

It is plain, that this clergyman inftruds.
his pariftxioners very carefully in the prin-
ciples of religion*' I perceive, that your ,

foul

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 197

foul is in very fafe hands, faid Kennedy,
giving the boy a crown ; but here is fome-
thing to enable you to take care of your
body.

In my next I fliall endeavour to give you
fome account of the Glaciers : — ^At prefent,
r mufi wifli you good night.

198 VIEW OF SQGJEr^ ANJJl

LETTER XXV.

Qeneva#

XI7E began pretty early in the morning
to afcend Montanvert, from the top
of which, there is eafy accefs to the Gla-
cier of that name, and to the Valley of
Ice.

Our mules carried us from the inn acrofs
the valley, and even for a confiderable way
up the mountain ; which at length became
fo exceedingly ftcep, that we were obliged
to difmount and fend them back. Mr«
Upton only, who had been here before, and
was accuftomed to fuch expeditions, con-
tinued without compundlion on his mule
till he got to the top, riding fearlefs over
yopks, which a goat or a C^arooi? would
have p^iflfed with qaqtipn,

■•>« v<%'

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &e. 199

lo this Uft animal* which is to be founti
en thefe mountains only, are blended the
different qualities of the goat and the
deer, 'It is faid to have more agility
than, any other quadruped poflefTed of the
iame degree of flrength.

After aCcending four hours, we gained
the fummit of Montanvert. The day was
remarkably 6ne, the objeds around noble
and majeflic, but in fome refpeds different
from what I had e^peded.

The valley of Chamouni had difappear-
cd :-~Mount Breven feemed to have crept
wonderfully near; and if I had not juft
jtroffed the plain which feparates the two
inountainsi and is a mile in breadth, I
{hould have concluded that their bafes were
in contad, and that their diftance above
was folely owing to the diminution in the
fize of all mountains towards the fummit*
Judging from the eye alonci I fhould have
thought it polfible to have thrown a (tone

O 4 from

aoo VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

from the place where I flood to Moant
Breven.

There is a chain of mountains behind
Montanvert, all covered with fnow, which
terminate in four diftinS rocks> of a
great height, having the appearance of
narrow pyramids or fpires. They are
called the Needles ; and each has a diflind:
name. — Mont Blanc, furrounded by Mon-
tanvert, Mount Breven, the Needles, and
o^her fnowy mountains^ appears like a giant
among pigmies.

The height which we had now attained,
^2LS fo far on our way up this mountain.
I was therefore equally furprifed and mor-
tified to find, after an afcent of three thou-
. fand feet, that M6nt Blanc feemed as high
here as when we were in the valley.

Having afcended Montanvert from
Chamouni, on defcending a little on the
other fide, we found ourfelves on a plain,
^hofe appearance has been aptly compared

*<< *•

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. aoi

to that which a ftormy fea would have, if
it were fuddenly arrefted and fixed by a
ftrong froft. This is called the Valley of
Ice. It ftretches feveral leagues behind
Montanvert, and is reckoned 2300 feet
higher than the valley of Chamouni.

From the higheft part of Montanvert
we had all the following objedls under our
eye, fome of which feemed tb obftrud the
view of others equally interefting; — the
Valley of Ice, the Needles, Mont Blanc,
with the fnowy mountains below, finely
contrafted with Breven, and the green hills
on the oppofitfe fide of Chanaouni, and the

fun in full fplendor fliowing all of them

« _

to the greateft advantage.— -The »whole
forms a fcene equally fuhlime and beautiful^
far above my power of defcription, and
worthy of the eloquence of that very ing^Cr
jiious gentleman, who has fo finely illuf-
trated thefe fubje($s, in a particular treatife,
^nd given fo many examples Qf botl^ in his
parliamentary fpeech^a*

While

aoft VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

While wc reooained in contemplation of
this fcency fome of the company obfcrvcd,
that from the top of one of the Needles the
profpe^t would be ftill more magnificent*
as the eye could flretch over Breven, be-
yond Geneva, all the way to Mount Jura*
and comprehend the Pays de Vallais, and
many other mountains and vallies.

This excited the ambition of the Duke
of Hamilton* He fprung up, and made to-
wards the Aiguille du Drui vrhich is the
higheft of the four Needles. Though he
bounded over the ice with the elafticity of a
young chamois, it was a confiderable time
before he could arrive at the foot of the
Needle: — ^for people are greatly deceived
^ to difiances in thofe fnowy regions.

Should he get near the top, faid Mr«
Grenville, looking after him with eager-
nefs, he will fwear we have feen nothing—
But I will try to mount as high as he can ;
I am not fond of feeing people above mOt
go faying^ he fprung after him«

MANNERS IN F*ANCf, &c. aej

la a fhort time we few dbem both fcram-p-
bliog. up the rock ; MMT he Duke had
gained a confiderable height^ when he was
Suddenly flopped: by a part of the rocfc
^hich waa perfectly iropra&icable (for hi»
;mpetuofity had prevented him from choo-*
fing the eafieft way); fo Mr. Grenvilla
©v(?rtook hiqi-

Here they had time to breathe and cool
a little. The one being determined not
to be furpafled, the other thought the ex-
ploit not worth his while, fince the honour
muft be divided* So like two rival powers,
who have exhaufted their ftrength by a
fruitlels conteft, Jthey returned, fatigued
and difappointed, to the place from which
they bad fet out.

After a very agreeable repaftf on the
provifions and wine which our guides had
brought from the Prieure, we pafled, by aa
eafy defccnt, firom the greax part of Mon-?
lanvert to the Valley of Ice, A walk upon

iliis fro?e» fcn U attended with inconve*

ni^nei^S,

104 VIEW Ot SOCIETY AND

niencies. In fome places, the fwellings,
which have been compared to waves, are
forty or fifty feet high : yet, as they are
rough, and the ice intermingled with fnow^^
one may walk over them. In other parts^
thofe waves are of a very moderate fize,
and in fome places the furface is quite leveL

What renders a paflfage over this valley*
fitll more difficult and dangerous is» the
rents in the ice, which are. to be met with,
whatever diredlion you follow. .Xhefe
rents are from two to fix feet widiCt and o£
an amazing depth; reachmg from the fur-
face of the valley, through a body of ice
many hundred fathoms thick. On throw**
ing down a done, or any other folid fub-*
fiance, we could hear the hollow murmur
gf its defcent for a very long time, found-
ing like far diilant waves breaking upon
rocks.

Our guides, emboldened by habit, lldppe4
over thefe rents without any fign of fear,
though they informed us, that they hadi

ofteq

MANNERS IN FRANCE. Sec. 205

often feen frefli :clefts formed, while they
walked on the valley. They added, in-
deed, for our encouragement, that this was
always preceded by a loud continued noife,
which gave warning of what was to happen.

It is evident, however, that this warning,
though it fhould always precede the rent,
could be of little ufe to thofe who had ad-
vanced to the middle of the valley ; for they
neither could know certainly in what di-
redion to run, nor could they have time
to get off : and in cafe the ice ftiould yawn
diredtly under their feet, they muft inevi-
tably perifti. — But probably few accidents
of that kind happen ; and this has greater
influence, than any reafoning upon the
fubjedl.

It is fuppofed, that the fnow and ice at
the bottom, melting by the warmth of the
earth, leave great vacancies, in the form of
vaults. Thcfe natural arches fupport for a
long time an amazing weight of ice and
ihow ;*~for there is a vaft diftance from the

S bottom

2o6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

bottom to the furface of this valley .—-But
the ice beoeath continuing to diflblve, add
the fnow above to increafei the arches mud
at laft give wry, virhich occafions the hoile
and rents above mentioned. Water alibi
which may have fallen from the furfaci kto
the clefts, or is lodged by iny means in this
great mafs of fnow, will, by its fudden ex-
panfion m the a€t of freezing, occafioa
new rents at the furface*

We had heard a great deal of the havo<f
made by avalanches. Thcfe are form^ of
fnow driven by the winds againft the
kigheft and moft protuberant parts of rocfca
and mountains, where it hardens and ad-^
heres fometimcs till a prodigknis nKtfs is ac-^
cumulated. But when thefe fupporlers
are able to fuftain the increafing wdght no
lo.iager, the avalanche falls at once, hurry*
ing large portions q£ the loofened todt or
mountain along with it ; ■ » and foUing^
from a vaft height, with a thundcrkig noifc^
to the valley, involves in cerUin de!ftFU<3donf

i all

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 207

all the trees» houfes^ cattle, and men, which
lie in its way *.

The greater part of thofe who have made
a journey to the Glaciers have feen one or
snore of thefe avalanches ijq the very ad pf
falling, and have themfelves always efcaped
by miracle*— —Juft^ as moft people who
have made a fingle voyage by fea, if it
were ohly between Dover and Calais, have
met with a ftorm, and very narrowly efcaped
ihipwrecfc.

All that any of our party can boaft is,
that during the nights we lay at Chamouni,
we frequently heard a noife like diftant

* Ac veluti montis faxum de vertice praeccips
Cum ruit avulfum vento, feu turbidas imber
Proliilt« aut annis fojvit fubjapfa vetuflas :
Fertur in abruptum magno iQons improbus adlu,
Exaltatque folo^ iilvas, armenta^ virofqae
lavolvens fecnm. Viaq.

As when, by age, or rain&, or tempeib torn,
A rock from feme high precipice is borne ;
Trees, herds, and fwains involving in*the fweep^
Th« mafs flies furious from th' aerial ileep.
Leaps down the mountain's fide, with many a bounds
In le^ wbtris» and fmokes along the ground* Pitt*

thunder^

•io8 VIEW OF SOCIE'TY AND

thunder, which we were told was occa-*
fioned by the falling of fome of thefe fame
avalanches at a few miles diflance. And
during our excurfions, we faw trees de-
ftroyed, and XrkCts of foil torn from the
fides of the mountains, over which the
avalanches vTere faid to have rolled, two
or three years before we pafTed. Thefe

were the narroweft efcapes we made.-^ ^

I heartily wifti the fame good luck to all
travellers, whatever account they themfelves
may choofe to give to their friends when
they return.

The Valley of Ice is fever al leagues in
length, and not above a quarter of a league
in breadth. It divides into branches, which
run behind the chaiii of mountains formerly
taken notice of. It appears like a frozen
amphitheatre, and is bounded by moun-
tains, in whofe clefts columns of cryftal, as
we were informed, are to be found. — The
hpary majefty of Mont Blanc * * * ♦ *
* * I was in danger of rifidg into poejiy^

when

MANNEkS IN PRANCE, &c. 109

when recolleSiiig the ftory of Icarus, I
thought it beft not to truft to my owa
waxea wings.-^! beg leave rather to bor-
row the fbllowiag lines, which will pleafe
you better than any flight of mine, and
prevent me from a fall :

So Zembla's rocks (the beautebus work ot

froft)
Rife white ij(i air, and glitter o'er the coaftj
Pale funs, unfelt, at diftance roll away.
And on th' impaflive ice the lightnings play ;
Eternal fnows the growing mafs fupply^
Fill the bright mountains, prop th' incumbent

As Atlas fix'd, each hoaiy pUe appears,
The gathered winter of a thoufand years* •

Having walked a confiderablii time oh
the valley^ and being fiifficiently regaled
with ice, we at length thought of return*
ing to our cottage at Prieurie* Our guides
led us down by a Chprter and deeper way
than that by which we had afcended ; and
in about two hours after we had begun our
defcent, we found ourfelves at the bottom

yoii.L P of

^io Vt£W OF SOCIETY AND

of the mountain. This 0d^d manner of
defcending, moft people find more fevere
.up6n the mbfcles of the legs and thighs,
than eten the afcent, Tor my own fart, i
•was very near exhaufted ; and as we were
fiill a couple of miles diftant from our
jodgings, it was with the greateft fatisfac-
tion that I faw our obfequious mules ill
Waiting to carry us to our cottage; where
having at laft arrived, tihd being afTembied
in a fmall roomf excluded from the view of
icy valleys, cryftal hills, and fhowy moun-
tains, with nothing before us but humble
ob]e£fes, as cold meat, c6arfe btead, and
poor wine, we cqntrived to pafs an hour
before going to bed, iri talking over the
Cicploits of the day^ and the wonders ^e
had leen. — Whether there is greater plea*
fute in this, or in viewing the icenes them^*
feives^ is a queftion not yet decided by th<
cafuifis.

MANNER^ IN FRANfcEi &c. ait

LETTER XXVTi

Geneva.

^HERE arefiire or fix different Gla-
ciersi t^hich all terminate upon otic
fide of the Valley of Chamouni, within the
fpace of about five leaguesi

Thefe are prodigious collefkions of faow
and ice, formed in the intervals or hollows*
between the mountains that bound the fide
of the valley near which Mont Blanc
flands.

The fiiow in thofe hollows being fqreened
froiii the influence of the fun, the heat of
fummer can difTolve only a certain portion
of it. Thefe magazines of ice and fnow
are riot formed by what falls direftly from
the heavens into the intervals. They are
fupplied by the fnow which falls during
winter on the lofiieft parts of Mont Blanc ;

P 2 large

,ai2 VIEW OP SOCIETY AND

large beds or ftrata of which Aide down
imperceptibly by their own gravity, and
finding no refiflance at thefe intervals, they
form long irregular roots around all the
adjacent mountains.

Five of thefe enter, by five different em-
bouchures, into' the valley of Chamouni,
and are called Glaciers, on one of which
we had been.

At prefent their furface is from a thou-
fand, or two thoufand feet high, above the
valley.

Their breadth depends on the wideneft
of the interval between the mountains in
which they are formed^

Viewed from the valley, they have, in
my opinion, a much finer eSe^ than from
their fummlt.

The rays of the fun ftriking with various
force on the difierent parts, according as
they are more or lefs expofed, occafion aa
unequal difiblutipn of the ice ; and, vtrith

4 the

MANNERS fN FRANCE, &c. aij

the help of a Httle imagiaationj give the

appearances of columns, arches, and tur-.

rets, which are in fome places tranfparent,

A fabric of ice ia this tafte, two thou-

fand feet high^ and three times as broad»

* . - *

with the fun (hining full upon it, you mud;
acknowledge to be a very fingular piece of
architedure.

Our company afcended only the Glacier
of Montanvert, which is not the higheft,
and were contented with a view of the
others from the valley ; but more curious
travellers will furely think it worth their
labour to examine each of them more par-
ticularly*

Some people are fo fond of Glaciers, that
not fatisfied with their prefent fize, they
infift pofitively, that they muft neceflfarily
grow larger every year j and they argue
the matter thus :

The prefent exiftence of the Glaciers is
a fufficient proof that there has, at fome
period or other, been a greater quantity of

P 3 fnow

JI4 VI£\y OE SaCIETY ANJ3

fiiow formed during the winter, than the
heat of the fummer has he^n ahle to diiTolve.
But th|8 difproportion muft neccflarily in-
qreafc very year, and, of confequence, the
Glaciers mull: augment: becaufe> any given
quantity of fnow and ice remaining through
the courfe of one fummer, muft increafe
the cold of the atmofphere around it in
fome degree ; which being reinforced by
jhe fnows of the fucceeding winter, will
refift the diflblving power of the fun naore
the fecond fummer than the firft, and ftill
more the third than the fecond, and fo on,

. Theconclufion of this reafoning is, that
|he Glapiers muft grow larger by an in-
creafipg ratio every year, till thq end of
time. For this reafon, the authors of thi§
theory regret, that they themfelves have
been fent into the world fo foon ; becaufe,
if their birth had been delayed for nine or
ten thouland years, they fliould have feen
^he Cylaciers ^n much greater glory, Mont

Blane

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 215

Bianc being but a LUUputian at prefent, in
compariibn of what it will he then.

However rational this may appear, ob-
jedHons have neverthelefs been fuggefted,
which I am forty for ; becaufe, when a
theory is tolerably condftent, well fabri-*
cated, and goodly to behold^ nothing can
be more vexatious^ than to fee a plodding
officious fellow overthrow the whole ftruc*^
ture at once by a dafh of his pen, as Har-
lequin does a houfe with a touch of his .
fwordy in a pantomime entertainment.

Such cavillers fay^ that as the Glaciers
augment in fize, there mufl; be a greater
extent of forface for the fun-beams to aft
upon, and, of confequence, the difTolution
will be greatier, which muff eflfeSually pre-f
vent the continual increafe contended for.

But the other party extricate themfelves
from this difficulty by roundly aflerting,
that the additional cold occafioned by the
fnow and ice already depofitedj has a much
greater influence in retarding their diifolu*

P 4 tion^

^i6 VIEW OF SaCIETY AND

tion, than the iiicreafed furface can have in
haftening it : andr in confirmation of their
fyftem, they tell you, that the oldefl: inha^
bitants of Chamouni remember the Gla«*
tiers when they were much fm^Uer than at
prefent ; and alfo remember the time when
they could walk» from the Valley of Ice, to
places behind the mountains, by paflages
which are now quite choked up with hiU$
jof fnow, not above fifty years old.

Whether the imhabitants of Chamouni
^ffcvt this from a laudable partiality to the
Glaciers, whom they m,ay now confider
(on account of their drawing ftrangers to
vifit the Valley) as their heft neighbours;*^
or from politeaefs to the fupporters of the
above-mentioned opinion;— or from real
obfervation, I (hall not prefume to iky.—-
-Put I myfelf have heard feveral of the old
people in Chamouni aiTerc the fa&<

The cavillers being; thus obliged to re-^
linqulfh their former objedioui attempt, in
the next . place, to ihow, that the above

\\icorY

MANNERS IN FRANCE; &c. ^17

theory leads to an abfurdity ; becaufe, fay
they^ If the Glaciers go on increafmg in
bulk ad infinitum^ the globe itfelf would be-
come in procefs of time a mere appendage
to Mount Blanc.

The advocates for the continual aug-
mentation pf the Glaciers reply, that as
this inconveniency has not already hap*
pened, there needs no other refutation of

the impious doctrine of certain philofophers,
\yho alTert that the world has exifted froai
eternity ; and as to the globe's becoming
an appendage to the mountain, they aflure
us, that the world will be at an end long
before that event can happen. So that
thofe of the mod timid natures, and mofl
delicate conftitutions, may difmifs their
fears on that fubjed.

For my own part, though I wilh well tcK

theGlacierS) and all the inhabitants of Cha**

' ■ . ' ' "
mouni, having pafled fome days very plea-

fantly in their company; I will take no
part in this controverfy, the merits of which

I leave to your ov^n judgraem,

9f.& V-IEW 0¥^ SOCIETY ANI>'

1 .

L E T T is R XXVII,

GcfiCT9»

TT H E morning of the day on which we
departed from Prieure, I obferved a
girl of a very Angular appearance fitting
before the door of one of the houfes/ Whea
I fpoke to her^ (he made iio anfwer ; But
an elderly man« who had been a foldier in
the King of Sardinians fervice, and my ac-t
quaintance fince the moment of our arrival
informed met that this girl was an ideot|
and had been fo from her birth*

He took me to two other houfes in the
village, in each of which there was one per-
ibn in the fame melancholy fituation } and
he affured me, that all over the valley of
Chamouni, in a family confiding of five or
fix children, one of them, generally fpw^-»

jng, was a perfeS natural*

8 This

MA.NME.RS IN FR,ANC5» &c. aj»

This, was confirmed by fome* others, to
whom I afterwjirds mentioned it. I: was-
told at the fame time,^ that the parents, fo
far from confidering this as. a misfortune,
looked upon it as an indication of good
luck to the reft of the family, and no un-
happinefs to the individual, whom they
always cherifti and prptedl with the uttt^oft
tendernefs.

I afked my foldier, if any of his own
family were in that fituation ? Non, Mon*
iieur, anfwered he; et. aufli j'af pafle une
vie bien dure,

Don't you think thefe poor creatures
vpry unhappy ?

Demande pardon, Monfieur ;— lis font
tres heureux ^

5ut you would not like to haVe been
|K)rn in that ftate yourfelf ?

Vous croyez done, Monfieur, que jaurois
.«te bien attrape ?

'Attrape! — certainly :-^don't you think

fo too ?

Pour

iM VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Pour cela^ noo, Monfieur; je n'aurdls
jamais travailK

To one who has through life heea ob-
liged to work hard for a bare fubfiftencef
labour appears the greateft evil^ and perfed
idlenefs the greateft bleffing. If this foldier
had been brought up in idlenefs^ and had
experienced all the horrors and dejedion
which attend indolent luxury, very polfibly
he would be of a different opinion.

During this journey, I remarked, that
in fome particular villages, and for a confi-
derable trad of country, fcarcely was there
any body to be feen who had that fwelling
of the throat and neck, which is thought fo
general among all the inhabitants of the
Alps. In particular, I did not obferve any
body at Prieure with this complaint ; andf
upon enquiry, was informed that there ar«
many parifhes in which not a fingle peribn
is troubled with it, and that in other places
at no great diftance, it is almoft univerfal.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. aai

la the valley of Chamouni there is only
one hamlet where it is common; but ia
the Pays de Vallaisi I was told^ it is niore
frequent than in any other place.

. As this difeafe feems to be endemical, it
cannot, as has been imagined, proceed from
the drinking of water impregnated with
fnow or ice ; for this beverage is common
to all the inhabitants of the Alps, and of
other mountains.

If the water be in reality the vehicle of
this difeafei we mufl: fuppofe it impregnated,
not only with diflblved ice and fnow^ but
alfb with ibme fait, or other fubftance, pof-
feflfed of the noxious quality of obftruding
the glands of the throat; and we mud alfo
fuppofe, that this noxious fubflance is to
be found in no other inhabited place but
the Alps.

After one of the inhabitants of Cha«

» • ■ *■

mouni had enumerated many parifhes where
there were, and others where there were^no
Goitres (which is the name they give tliis

fwelling),

*422 VIEW OF SOCI1ETY ANi>

.fwelling), he concluded by telling me, I
fhould fee <hem' in great abundance among
the VaHaifans, to'whofe country we wefc
going. — ^When Itold the man, I thought
his country people very happy, in being
quite free from fuch an odiotrs difeale,
which afBided their poor neighbours-^^'— *
En reVandhe, faid thepeafant, nous^fomthes
accables des imp6t8 ;— <t dans le pays de
Vallais on ne paye rien.

The d ^1 is in the fdlow, exclaimed

I.-^Were it in your choice, would you ac-
cept of Goitres, to get free of taxes ?

Ttes volontiers, Monfieur ; — 1 un vaut
'bien l^autrCi

Quid caufa5 eft, merito quin illis Jupiter

ambas,
' Iratas buccas iriflet *•

You fee, my friend, that it is not in
iourts'^hd capitals alone that men are dif-

And fhall not Jove,

'With cheeks in rfam'd, and angry brow, forfwear
His vft9k indulgence to their future prayer ?

Francis.

contented

MANNERS IN FRANCE, -&c. 423

•contented with their fortunes. The caufes
of repining^are different in different places ;
but the effcfl is the fame every where.

On the morning of the ^th day, we bid
adieu to Prieure ; and having afcended the
'mountains whkh fliut up the valley c»f
Cfaamouni at the end oppofite to that by
which we had entered, after various wind«
ings on a very rugged road, We gradually
defcended into a hoUoW <)f the moft difmal
appearance.

It is fufrounded with high, bare, rugged
rocks, without trees or verdure of any
kind, the bottom being as barren and craggy
as the fides, and the whole forming a moft
hideous landfcape^ This dreary valley is
bf a confiderable letigth, but very narrow^
I imagine it would have pleafed the fancy
of Salvatorj who might have been tempted
to fteal a corner of it for one of his pieces^
Which, when he had enlivened with a mur-
der pt two^ would have been a mafter^piece
of theHorrible*

Having

224 VIEW cm SOCIETY AND

HaTiog traverfed this, we continued our
journey^ fometHnes afcending» then de-
fcending into other vallies whofe names
I have forgot. — ^We had a long continued
afcent over Mount Noir, a very high hilU
covered with pine^treesy many of which
are above a hundred feet in height. I waa
obliged to walk on foot moft of this toad>
which is full as fteepaa any part of that by
which we had afcended Montanvert.

We came at length to the pafs which
feparates the King of Sardinians country
from the little republici called the Pays de
Vallais. Acrofs this there is an old thick
wall, and a gate^ without any guard. This
narrow pafs continues for feveral miles.— !•
A few peafants arranged along the upper
part of the mountains could^ by rolling;
down flonesi deftroy a whole army, if it
ihould attempt to enter into the country by
this road.

When you have pafled through this long
defilei the road runs along the fide of a

high

high and deep motintain; but is flill fo
Very narrow, that two perfons cannot with
lafeiy go iabreaft, and nil paffengers are en-
tirely at the mercy of thofe who may be
pofted on the higher parts of the mountain.

From the fide of the mountain on which
We paiTed, we could have fpoken to the
people who inhabited the fide of the moun-
tain oppofite* But I am convinced it would

have taken three or four hours walking, to
have gone to them : Becaufe we muft, by
A long, oblique tour, have firft reached the
bottom of the cleft between us, and thert
have afcended to them, by atiother long, fa-»
tiguing path, which could not be done iii
lefs time than I have mentioned.

Wherever there is a fpot of the mountain
tolerably fcrtilcj and the flope lefs formi-
dable than ufual, you are almoft certain to
find a peafam's houfe. All the houfes ard
buih of the fine red pine, wliich grows neaf
at hand. The carriage of this, even for
a fhort way, upon thofe very fleep moua-

VoL# L Q^ tains,

OAh VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

tains, miift have been attended with no
fmall difficulty and danger. Thefe dwell-
ings are raifed on wooden props, or pillars,
two or three feet above the ground. On
the top of each pillar a large flag or broad
ftone is placed, to obftru£t the entrance of
rats. — ^Indeed the fituation of thefe abodes
is fo very aerial, that they feem almoft in-

acceflible to every animal that has not
wings, as well as to rats.

. The road led us at length to the fummit,
which is level, and covered with pines for
feveral miles. Having traveried this, and
defcended a little on the other lide, the
lovfrer Vallais opened to our view. No-
thing can be imagined more fingularly pic-
turefque: — It is of an oval form, about feven
leagues in length, and one in breadth, fur-
rounded on all fides by mountains of a ftu-
pendous height, the lower parts of which
are covered with very rich paflure.— The
valley itfelf is fertile in the higheft degree :

finely cultivated, and divided into meadows^

gardens.

>4[ANNEI^S IN FfeANdE, ice, tiif

gardensy and vineyards* The I^hone flows
in beautiful mazes fifom the one end to thtf
other .-i-'Sion, the capital of the Vallais, isf
fituated on the upper extremity, and the
town of Martigny on the lower, many vil-
lages and detached houfes appearing all
over the valley between them. The pro-
fpe£b we had now under our eye formed a
firiking and agreeable conttafl; with the
fcenes we had jufl: left. The diftance from
this point to Martigny, Inrhieh (lands near
the bottom of the mountain, is about fix
miles^ There is one continued defcent the
whole ways which is rendered eafy by the
roads being thrown into a zig-zag direction.

After the rugged paths we had been ac«
cuftomed to, it was, comparatively fpeakingt
reft, to walk down this mountain. — ^We ar-
rived at Martigny refrefhed^ and in high
fpiritSt

a.«

228 VIEW QF SdCI^TV Alt^

LETTER xxvnr.

Genevd*

TOURING our journey over the mouit-
ains which encircle the lower Vallais,
I had often felt an inclination to enter fome
of the peafants' houfes, that I might be a
witnefs of the domeftic oeconomy of a peo^
pie which Rouffeau has fo delightfully de-
fcribed.

Had I been alone, or with a fingle com-
panion, I fhould have pledged them libe-
rally, and made a temporary facrifice of my
reafoa to the Pfenates of thofe happy moun-
taineers ; for, according to him, this- is the
only payment they will receive for their
entertainment; But our company was by

far

MANNERS IN FRANCE; &c. iiq

far too numerous, a'nd would have put their
hofpttality to too fevere a trial.

After a night's refrefliment at Martigny,
we looked with fome degree of impatience
for the cabriolets, which had been ordered
to meet us there. We all talked with rap-
ture of the fublime fcenes from which we
had defceiided ; yet nobody regretted that
the refl: of the journey was to be performed
on plain ground. The cabriolets arriving
the fanie forenoon, we fet out by the em^
houcbure^ which leads to St. Maurice.

That immenfe rampart of mountaifts
which furrounds the Vallais at every other
part, is cut through here, which renders
that country acceffible to the inhabitants of
the canton of Bern. This opening has
the appearance of a vaft and magnifi-
cent avenue, on each fide of which a
row of lofty mountains are placed, in-
ftead of trees. It is fome leagues in length.
The ground is exceedingly fertile, and per-
fedly level: Yet if an attack were fufpefl;-

0^3 ^dt

9J0 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

ed| this pafs could be eafily defended by
batteries at the bottom of the mouotains
on each fide* Befides, a river of confider-
^ble depth flows along, fome times on the
pne fide, and fometimes on the other, and^
by continually crolling the plain> feems to
forbid all hoflile incroachnoeuts.

This little fpot, the country of the Val-
laifans, which CQip prebends the valley abovq
defcribed, the mountains that furrqund it,
and ftrctch oq one fide all the way to the
lake, including three or four towns and
mahy villages, is a diftrid:, governed by its
own laws and magiftrates, in alliance w;th,
but independent of, the Swifs cantons, pf
any other power^ The religion is popery,
Sind the form of government democratic-
It feems to have been imagined by Nature
as a lail afylum for that divinity, without
whofe influence all her other gifts are of
fmall yalue» Should the rapacious hand of
defpotifm ever crufli the rights of man-
feiR^, and ovfjrturo th? altars pf rREEPQM,

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 231

in every other country in Europe, a chofea
people may here prefer ve the true worftiip,
and fhare her regard with the provinces
beyond the Atlantic.

In the middle of the opening above men-
tioned, about four leagues from Martigny,
between two high mountains, and at the
fide of the Rhone, is (ituated the little town
of St. Maurice, which guards this entrance
into the lower Vallais*

Having pafled a bridge at this town»
which divides the country of the Vallaifans
from the canton of Bern, we proceeded to
Bex, a village remarkable for Its delight*
ful fituation, and for the falt-works which
are near it. After dinner, we vifited thefe.
We entered the largeft faline by a paflage

cut out of the folid rock, of a fufficient
height and breadth to allow a man to walk
with cafe.

Travellers who have the curiofity to ex-
plore thefe gloomy abodes, are previoufly
' furnifhed with lighted lamps or torches,

0^4 and

^ I

fj* VIEW OF SOCIETY AND -

and drefled in a coarfe habit, to defend them-
from the fliqify drippings which fall from
the roof and fides of the paffagc.

Upon arriving at the refer voir of fait
Tvater, which is about three quarters of a
piile from the entrance, I was feized with
9, naufea, froin the dilagrceable fmell of the
place, and returned wi^h all poffible expe-
dition to the open air, leaving my compa-
pions to pufli their refcarches as far as they
pleafed. They remained a confiderable
time, after me. What fatisfadioa they re-
ceived within, I fhall not take upon me
to deteripine; but I never faw a fet of
people makea more melancholy exit;— with
their greafy frocks, their torches, their
fmoky, woe-begone countenances, they
put n^e in mind of a proceflion of con-
fJemned heretics, wq^lking to the flames, a(
|ih Auto de Fe at Lifbon.

Having recovered their looks and fpirits
^t the inn at Bex, they aflured roe> that the
f iiriofuies tl^ejr ha^J f?eq during their fubn

^pryaneou?

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 233

terraneous progreft, pardcularly after my
feceffion, were more worthy of obfervatioa
than any iKing we had met with fince we
had left Geneva ; and they all ad vifed me,
with affeded ferioufnefs. to return and com^
plete the intereftipg vifit which I had left
unfimfhed.

Next morning our company divided, the
Duke of Hamilton and Mr. Grenville chu-
fing to return by Vevay and Laufanne. Mr^
Upton, Mr. Kennedy, and myfelf, went by
the other fide of the lake of Geneva, They
took with them the two chaifes, and we
proceeded on horfeback, our road not ad-
jnitting of wheel carriages.

We left Bex early in the morning, paff-
ing through Aigle, a thriving little town,
whofe houfes are built of a white marble
found in the neighbourhood.*-*The ideas
of gloom and wretchednefs, as well as of
ipagnificence, had fomehow been linked
in my mind with this fubftance.-~I don't
JjRow whether this h owing to its be-r

ny^, VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

itig ufed in tombs and monuments;*
to my having obfervedi that the houfes
moll profufdy ornamented by it are fo often
the manfions of dulnef» and difcontent.~-
Whatever gave rife to this conned:ioa
of ideasy the appearance of the inhabit--
ants of Aigle was well calculated to cure
me of the prejudice; for although the
sneancft houfes in this poor little town are
built of marble, yet in the courfe of my
life I never beheld lefs care and more fatif-
fa£tion in the countenances of any fet of
people. . An appearance of eafe and con«
tent prevails not only heres but all over
Switzerland*

A little beyond Aigle, we crofled the
Rhone in boats. It is broader at this ferry^
than where it flows from the lake of Ge-
neva. As foon as we arrived on the other
fidCf we were again in the dominions of
the Vallaifansy which extend on this fide
all the way to the lake.

W«

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. ajj

We had a delightful ride to St. Gingo,
Tvhere we dined, and remained feveral
hours to refrefh our horfes. Though it
was Sunday, there was a fair at this town,
to which fuch a concourfe of people had
reforted from the Pays de Vallais, the
canton of Bern, and from Savoy, that we
could not without difficulty find a room to
dine in.

The drefs of the young Vallaifannes it
remarkably pidurefque. A little filk hat,
fixed on one fide of the heady froni which
a bunch of ribbons hangs negligently, with
a jacket very advantageous to the (hape,
^ives them a fmart air, and is upon the
whole more becoming than the drefs of the
common people in any country I have yet
feen.

A little beyond St. Gingo, we entered
the dukedom of Savoy, The road 13 here
<:ut out of the lofty rocks which rife from
theiake of Geneva* It muft be paflfed with
(aytipni being exceedingly narrow, 2^n4 no

fence

ft36 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

fence to prevent the traveller from falling
over a very high precipice into the lake, ia
cafe his horfe fhould ftart to one fide.

At feme places this narrow road is ren-
dered ftill more dangerous by fragments
which have fallen from the mountains
above, and have impaired and almoft de-
ftroycd the path. At thofe places v^e were
obliged to difmount, and lead our horfesi
with great attention, over rubbifh and
broken rocks, till we gained thofe parts of
the road which were intire.

The fight of Meillerie brought to my
remembrance the charming letters of Rouf-
feau's two lovers. This^ recoHedtion filled
me with a pleafing enthufiafm. I fought
with my eyes, and imagined I difcovered
the identical place where St. Preux fat with
his telefcope to view the habitation of his
beloved Julia.— ^I traced in my imagination
his route, when he fprung from rocl; to
rock after one of her letters, which a fnd-
den guft of wind had fnatched from his

* hands,

IVfANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. :j3;

hand$* — I nq^rked the point at which the

two lovers ^inbarked to retura to Clarence,

after an evening vifit to thofe very ro(4;:s,-:-^
when St. Preux, agonized with tender re*
colli;(3:ion8, and diftra(3:ed with defpair, was
tempted to feize his miftrefs, then the wife
of another, and precipitate himfelf along

with her, from the boat headlong into the

• • - • • f,

middle of the lake. .

* • • • - •

Every Qircupijftance pf that pathetic ftory
came fre(h into my mind. I felt myfelf oa
a kind of claf&c ground, and experienced
that the eloquence of that inimitable writer
had given me an interefl: in the landfcape
bcfpre my eyes, beyond that which its owa
natural beauties could have efFeded.

Havipg left the romantic rocks of Mcil-
lerie behind, we defcended to a fertile
plain, almoft on a lev^l with the lake,
along which the road runs, flanked with
rows of fine tall trees all th? way to Evian,
an agreeable little town^ renowned for its
mmeral waters. Here wc met with maor

13« VIEW OF SOCIEt Y ANO

of our Geneva acquaintances of both fexe^^
who had come, under pretence of drinking^
the waters, to amufe themfelves in this de •
lightful retreat.

We next proceeded to Tonon, a moft re-
ligious city, if we may judge by the num-
ber of churches and monafteries which it
contains. The number of inhabitants are
calculated at fix or feven thoufand> and
every feventh perfon 1 faw wore the pni-
form of fome religious order. After this,
I was not greatly furprifed to perceive
every fymptom of poverty among the lay
inhabitants.

Having befpoke fupper and beds at this
place, we went and vifited the convent
of Carthufians at Ripaille, which is at a
little difiance.

It was here that a Duke of Savoy, after
a fortunate reign, alTumed the character of
a hermiti and lived with the fathers a life

of piety and mortification, according to
fome} of volupyiouihefs and policy, ac-
cording

MANNERS IN FRANCE, Stc. 139

cording to others. What we are well af-
fured of is, that he w^s in a (hort time
deded Pope, by the council of Bafil, which
dignity he was obliged to relinquifli nine
years after, having firft made very honour-
able conditions for himfelf. After this, he
fpent the remainder of his life with the re-
putation of great fandity at Ripaille.

Had he been allowed to chufe any part
of Europe for his retreat, he could not
have found one, more agreeable than this
which his own dominions furnifhed.

The fathers with great politenefs fliowed
us their foreil, their gardens, their apart-
ments, and a very elegant new chapel, which
is juft finifhed. They then conducted us
into the chambef where their Sovereign had
lived and died. They talked much of his
genius, his benevolence, and his fandity.
We heard them with every mark of acqui-
efcence, and returned to our inn, where
tho* ive certainly did not Jaire Ripaille^ Vta

convinced the fleas did : As Shakefpeare's

carrier

040 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

carrier (ayst there wits never a King itt
Chriftendom better bit than we vrere^
through the whole night. We paid for
our entertainment) fuch as it was^. a very
extravagant bill in the morning, and with-
out grudging; for we confidered, that we
were to leave our hod and his family

amongft a fwarm of blood-fuckers^ fiill
more intolerable than fleas#

We arrived the fame forenoon at Geneva^
having finifhed a tour in whic^ a greater
variety of fublime and interefting obJ€<a8
offer themfelves to the contemplation of
the traveller, than can be found in any
other part of the globe of the fame extent*

I am> &c<

li^ANNERS IN fKfi^GfL^JS^, ^t

LETTER XXiX*

... G^m;

i . • •

T AM not fiurprifed that your inquiries of
^ late .entirely rtg^td the phildfopher of
Ferney» This extraordinary poiba baa
tontriVed to excite more curioiity, and to
retain the attention of Europe for a longer
fpace of time^ than any other man this age
has produced^ monarchs and heroes in*^
duded> ■■ E ven the moft trivial antcdotri
telkting to him feems, in fomc; degree^ td
intereft the Public.

Since I have been in this cduntryi I
have had frequent opportunities of con-
Verfing with him, and fiiil more with thofe
Who have lived in intimacy witE him' for
many years : fo thatf whatever remarks I

Vol. I. R may

a4a VIEW OF SOCIETY AKD

may fend you on this fubjef):, are founded
either on my own obfervation, or on that
of the moft candid and intelligent of his
acquaintaace*

He has enemies and admirers here, as
he has every where elfe; and not unfre-
qdently both united in the fame perfon.

The firft idea ^hichf has prefented itfelf
to all :^hXL :h.4ve. attem{>ted a ^defcription of
his pecfooi is that of a ikejeton. la as far
as this implies. exoeiliye leannefs) it-is juft;
but it . mud be remembered> that this fke-

leton^ this mere compel tion of ikin and
bone, has a look of more fpirit and viva*
city^ th»n is generally produced .by flefii
^nd blood> however blooming and youth-
ful. " "

The mpft piercing eyes I ever beheld
Sire thofe of Voltaire^ npw in his eightieth
yean His whole countenance is expref-
ii^ pf genius9 obfervation^ and extreme
feufiblity*

...» 4 » _ • .

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. ^43

' Id the morning he has a look of anxiety
and difcoiitent; but this gradually wears
ofF, and after dinner he feems cheerful: — ■
yet^ri air of irony never entirely forfakefs
his face, but may always be obferved
lurking in his features, whether he frowns
or fmiiea*

When the weather is favourable, he
takes an airing in his coach, with his mece»
ior with fome of his guefts, of whom there
is always a fufficient . number at Ferney.
Sometimes he faunters in his garden; or, if
the weather does not permit him to go
abrpad, he employe his leifure hours in
playing at chefs with Pcre Adam; or in
receiving the yifits of ftrangers, a continual
fucceffioa of whom attend at Ferney to
Catch an opportunity of feeing him; or in
didlating and reading letters; for he ftill
retains correfpondents in all the countries
♦ of Europe, who inform him of every re-
markable occurrence, and fend him every'
new literary production as foon as it ap-
pears.

R s By

ft44 VIEW OF SpCIfi'TY AND

Ry fix thegreawr part of hU time is
fjpent in ^18 fiudy ; and whether he reads
luitffelff or lifteDS to another^ he always has
a pen in hts hands to take notes^ or make
remarks.

Compofxtiba is his priaclfml amufeBo^ot.
No author who writes for daily Jbread^ no
young poet atdent fot di(tin£lioni is more
afliduoiis with bis^pen^ or more anxbus for
irefh fisme, than the weakhy and apj^laudedl
Seigneur of Ferney .

HeiHrcs in a very hofpitable manner^ and

taSces care always to k^ep a good cook. He

^asgenerally two or three vifitorsfrom Paris,

-who day with htm a Month ^f iix wedcs

at a time. When they <go; their places ane

Soon fupplled; fo that there is a amftant

-rotation of fixiety at Ferncy. Thefe# with

Voltaire's own family, and his vifitors from

^Geneva, compofe a company of twdve or

fourteen people, who dine daily at his table^

whether he appears or not. For when en-

*gaged in preparing ibme new production for

the

MANNERS IN FRANCE, :arc. ^4^:

the prefs, iddifpofed or in bad fpirits, ht
does not dine with the company; Imt fatif*
fies himfelf with feeing them for a few-
minuteS) either before or after dinner.

All who bring recommehdations from Ihs
friends, may depend upon being r£feelvedy
if he be not really indifpofed.— -He often
prefents himfelf to the ftrangers, wh0^aP
(emble almoft every afternoon in his anti-
chamber, although they bring no particular
recommendation. But fometimes they are
obliged to retire without having their cu«
riofity gratified.

As often as this happens^ he is fure o(
being accufed of peevifhnefs ; and a thou-*
iaij4 ill-natured fiories are related, perhaps
inreoted, out of revenge, becaufe he is not
in the humour of being exhibited like a
dancing bear on a holiday. It is much lefs
furprifing that he fometimes refufes, than
that he (hould comply fo often. In him*
this complaisance muft proceed fplely from
^ defire to oblige; for. Voltaire h^? been

R 3 i«

146 VIEW OF SOCIETY/AND

fo long accuftomed to admiration, that the
flare of a few ftrangers cannot be fuppofed
to afford him much pleafure.

His ' niece» Madame Denis, does the
honours of the table, and entertains the
company, when her uncle is not able, or
does not choofe to appear. She is a well-
difpofed woman, who behaves with good*
humour to every bpdy, and with unremit-
ting attention aqd tendernefs to her uncle.

The forenoon: is not a proper time to vifit
Voltaire. He cannot bear to have his
hours of (ludy interrupted. This alone is
V fufiicient to put him out of humour; be-
fides, he is then apt to be queruloust
whether he fuffers by the infirmities of age,
or from fome accidental caufe of chagrin*
Whatever is the reafon, he is lefs an opti-
inifl at th^H part of the day than at any
other. It wa§ in the morning, probably^

that he remarked, que c'ctoit domage

que le quinquina fe trouvoit en Amerique,
Ct la fie vre en nos climat^.

Thofe

MANNERS IN-FRANCJE, &c ^J^

Thofc who are invited to fupper^ have
an opportunity of feeing him ia the mofl
advantageous point of view. He then ex«
erts hifnfelf to entertain the fpmpany, and
feems as fon4 of faying, what are called
good things, as evef;-— and when any
lively remark or. bon mot comes, from
another, he is equally delighted, and pays
the fulleft tribute of applapfe.— — The
fpirit of mirth gaiijis upon him by indul-
gence.-— Wh^n furrounded by his friends,,
and animated by the prefence of wpmeijf ,
he feems to enjoy life wjth all^ the fenfjbi-
iity of youth. His genius then furmounts
the reftraints of age and infirmity) an4
flows along in a fine flrain of pleafing^ fpi^

rited obfervation, and delicate iron^-.

. He has an excellent talpnt qf adapting his
convcrfation tohis company, — Tliefirfl time
the Diike cif Hamilton waited op him, he
turned the difcourfe on the ancient alliance
between the French and Scotch nations.—-

jieciting the cir<?umftance of ope of hi?

R 4 G»c«'4

t4i VIEW Ot SOdtEtY AND'

C^race'ft predecefTors having accompatiied
Mary Queen of Scots, whdfe heir hd it
that dme was, to the court of France,-^
he fpoke of the heroic charaQers of his
anceftors, the a^hcient Earls of Douglas—
of the great literary reputation of fome of
his countrymen, then living ; and men«
tloned the names of Hume and Rohert/bii
in terms of high approbation.

A fliort time afterwards, he was vifited
by two Ruffian Noblemen, who are now at
Geneva. Voltaire talked to them a great
deal of their Emprefs, and the flourifliing
ftate of their country.— —Formerly, {aid
he, your countrymen were guided by ig*
norant priefts, — ^the arts were unknown,
and your lands lay wafte; — but now the
arts flcurifh, and the lands are cultivated.—
One of the young men replied. That the^d
yj2iS ftill a great proportion of barren land

in Ruffia.— At leaft, faid Voltaire, yoii
jnuft admit, that of latfe your country ha$
been y try fertile in laurels.

His

MANNERS IN FRANCE, *c. S49

- Hitf difiike to the clergy is well kbown.—
Thife leads him to j6iii in a vetf ttilh topic
of abtife with people Who have no pretea*
fion to that degree of wit whiqh alone
could make their railings tolerable,— The
conyerfation happening to turn into this
channelii one perfon faid, If you fubtradt
pride from priefts nothing will remain.-—
Vous comptez done, Monfieury la gour-
xnandife pour rieui faid Voltaire.

He approves biuch more of Marmontel's
Art of Poetry, than of any poems of that
author's compofition. Speaking of thefe,
he faid that Marmontel, like MofeSf could
guide others to the Holy Land, though he

was not jiUowed to enter it hiqafelf *•

* The Tame alluSoii, thoogh pi-obaUy Voltaire did sot
know it> WAS Icmg fince made by Cowley—- «-

Bacon like Mofes led u$ forth kt laft^

The barren wildemefs he pall^

Pid on the very border fland

Of the bleft promifed land.

And from the monntain top of his exalted Hrlt i

•

Sl^W it hin^felf. and fhew'd bs it.

Voltaire*^

450 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Voltaire's unbetpoming allufions to the
Sacred Writings, and his attempts to turn
into ridicule fome of the moft venerable
charaders mentioned in them, are no«
torious.

A certain perfon, who ilammered very
much, found means to get himfelf intro*
duced at Ferney. He had no other re-
commendation than the praifes he. very

liberally beftowed on himfelf. When

he left the room Voltaire faid, he fuppofed
him to be an avanturier, un impofteur. — »
Madame Denis faid, Impoftors never ftam-

mer: — To which Voltaire replied — MoiTc,

» >

ne begayoit-il pas?

You muft have heard of the animofity
which has long fubfifted between Voltaire
and Freron the Journalift at Paris. The
former was walking one day in his garden
with a gentleman from Geneva. A toad
crawled acrofs the road before them ;-TrThc
gentleman, to pleafe Voltaire, faid, point-
ing at the toad, — -There is a Freron. What;

can

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. a^r

can that poor' animal tave done to: yon,
replied the Wit, to dcferve fuch a name ?

He compared the Britifh nation to a
hogfhead of their own ftrong beer ; the
top of which is froth, the bottom dregs,
the middle excellent.

A friend of Voltaire's having recom-
mended to his perufal, a particular fyftem
of metaphyfics, fupported by a train of
reafonings, by which the author difplayed
his own ingenuity and addrefs, without
convincing the mind of the reader, or
proving any ihin^ befides his own elo-
quence and fophiftry, a&ed, Ibme time
after, the critic's opinion of this per-
formance.

Metaphyfical writers, 'replied Voltaire,
are like minuet-dancers j who being drefT-
ed to the greateft advantage, make a couple
of bo ws, move through the room in the fineft
attitudes, difplay all their graces, are in
continual motion without advancing a ftep,
and finifh at the identical point from whicl^

tl^ey

%S» VIEW OF SOCIETY

they fet out Perhaps he borrowed this
thought from the following linea in Pope'si
DuDciad:

Or fet on metiph^fic ground to prance.
Shew all hU paces» not a ftep advance.

This, I hope, will fktisfy you for the
prefent; in my next^ I fhall fend you what
farther particulars I think worth your no-
tice concerning this fingular mann— Mean
while* I am, 6c6.

MAiJtiBRS m F# ANCi:, ,^. 953

LETTER XXX.

« f

Gencya*

i/^Onfidend as a maftdr» Vokaire appears
in a Tdry amiable Ugbt. Heisaffablei
iiumaney and generous to iiis tenants and
4ependant8^ He loves xq fee them profper ;
and takes part in their privztt and domeftic
concerns with the attention of a patri-
arcb.-^He promotes jndnftry and manufao-
tures aj&Ojag themi kj every means he can
ddvife ; by his care and patronage alpn^
Ferney^ from a wre^hed .village^ wbofe
inhabitants nvere funk in^floth and poverty,
.is becQtite a flourishing and commodious
Jittle:town^

That acrimony, which, appears in foiQ.e
of Voltaire's works, feems to be ^cited
..gnly againft rival witSj and contemporary

writers,

♦ i.^

25+ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

writers, who rcfufe him that diftinguifhed
place on Parnaffus, to which his talents en-
title him.

If he has been the author of feverc fatire,
he has alfo been the objed of a great deaK
Who has been the aggreflbr, it would be
difficult to determine ; but it mud be con-
f^fled, that where.hehas not been irritate
as a writer, he applears a gDO(i<>hambured
man ; and, in particular infta^es,:jdifplay^
a true philamhropy,-T--TThc wholfe of hte
condud refpedihg the Galas family ;-™his
prot^dtion of the Sir vens, i'bfs' patronage
of the young lady defcendedffri^Cbr*
neiUe, and many examples, which might

be mentioned, are all of this natiire; ^

• ♦

Some people will 'tell you, that all the
buftle he made," on thefe, arid fimliar oc-
cafibns, procdedfea from vanity j*bitt in my
mind, the man who takes pairii to juftify
^opprefled innocence, to roufe the indigna-
tion of mankind agalnft cruelty, and to re-
lieve indigent merit, is in reality benevo-

lent.

MANNERS IN FRANCtfi^ &c. 1^5

lent, however vain he may be of fuch
^dlions.— — Such a matiis unqueftionabl]^
a more ufc^l member of fooiety, than the
humbleft motik; who has no other plan in
life, than th6 working out his own falvation
in a corner. /

Voltaire's criticifms on the writings of
Shakefpear do him no honour ; they be-
tray ah igtforance of the author, whofe
works tie fo raftily condemns. Shakefpear 's
irregularities, ind his difrdgard fof the uni-
ties of the drama, are obvious* to the dulleft
of modern critics j but Voltaire's national
prejudices, and his imperfect knowledge
<>f the language, render Kim. blind to forfie
of the mbft fhining beauties of ^the Englilh
Poet; his remarks, however, thpugh not
always candid nor delicite, are for the mod
part lively. -^

• »

One evening, at Ferney, the converfa^
tion happening to turn on the genius of
Shakefpear, Voltaire expatiated on the
impropriety and abfurdity of introducing

low

* « » ^

14$ VI^W OF pOCIgfF

Tragedy ; and gav^e many'iofiances x^f the
£ngU(h bird's having offsukim thfttpa^-*
ticular, ev«n in hk moA patbtdc pkys. 4
geocleman of the ix^mpany* xrho is A.g):<eat
admirer of Shakefpear, obferved* bf wav
pf palliation, that thoygh |hoj[c qh^rac-
ters were bw, yet they yj/j^re natur^ (daas

■ . '■ »

la nature, was m» exprei3[iofl). .^yec perr
,nvffion, Monlieur, cqjied VjoJifaifc, inc^
cul eft b^ dans la nature, et fx^cfx^^ je
porte des coulottea.

Voluire had formerly a little, theatre at
his own houfe, where dranutic piecesj^jerc
jreprcfented by ibme of tl^ icKicty.vho
arifited there, he him&lf geatfrally: taking
fgme important «ba«i(Sleri .^ut by; all ac-
counts this waB<nat his fort, nature haviiig
fitted him for conceiving the .fmtiipents,
but not reprefenting the anions of a

Jiero,

•* - . • _ • . »

. Mr. Cramer of Geneva fometimes affifted
.jjpoa thefe occafions.— I have often feen

'■••-. . .

t that

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 457

that gentleman aA at a private theatre in
that city with deferved applaufe. Very
few of thofe whp have made adling the
ftudy and budnefs of their lives, could have
reprefented the charafters, in which he
appeared, with ftiore judgment and en-

wgy-

The celebrated Clairon herfelf has been
proud to tread Voltaire's domeftic theatre,
and to difplay at once his genius and her
own.

Thefe dramatic entertainments at Fer«
ney, to which many of the inhabitants of

Geneva were, from time to time, invited,
in all probability increafed their defire for
fuch amufements, and gave the hint to a
compaqy of French comedians, to come
every fummer to the neighbourhood.

As the Syndics and Council did xio|
judge it proper to licenfe their ading, this
company have ereded a theatre at Chate*
laine, which is on the French fide of the
ideal line which feparates that kingdom from

Vol. It S the

rf^ VXBW OF SOCIETT AKtJf

the territories of the Republic, and ftbouf
three miles from .the ramparts of Geneva.

People come occafionally from Savoy
and Switzerland to attend thefe reprefenta»-
tiona; but the company on which the
adors chieflj depend^ are the citizens of
Geneva*' The play begins at three or four
in the afternoon, that the fpedators' may
kave time to return before the (hutting of
the gates.

I have been frequenrly at thi« theatre*
The performers are moderately good. The
admired Le Kain> wha is now at Fer*
Hey on a vifit to Voltaire, fometimes ex-
hibits:— but when I go, my chief induce-
ment is to fee Voltaire, who generally
attends when Le Kain afks, and wheit
one of hA9 own tragedies i^ to be repre-
fented*^

He fit» on the ftage, and behitid ther
&enes; but fo as to be feen by a great part
cef the audience. He takea as much in«
tereft in the representation^ as if hia own

chara6ler

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 259

charader depended on the performance.
He {eeins perfe£tly chagrined and difgufted
when any of the adkors commit a miftake ;
and when he thinks they perform well,
never fails to mark his approbation with all
the violence of voice and gefture.

He enters into the feigned diftrefTes o£
the piece with every fymptom of real
emotion, and even iheds tears with the
profufion of a girl prefent for the firft time
dt a tragedy.

I have fometimes fat near him during
the whole entertainment, obferving with
aftonifhment fuch a degree of fenfibility in
a man of eighty. This great age, one
would naturally believe, might have con-
fiderably blunted every fenfation, particu-
larly thofe eccafioned by the fiditious dif-
trefles of the drama^ to which he has beea
habituated from his youth.

The pieces reprefented having been
written by himfelf) is another circumftance
whicbi in my opinion, ihould naturally

Ss tend

26 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

tend to prevent their efFe£t on him. Some
people indeed affert that this, fo far from
dimini(hing, is the real caufe of all his
fenfibility; and they urge, as a proof of
this affertion, that he iattends the theatre
only when fome of his own pieces are to
be aded.

That he fhould be better pleafed to fee
his own tragedies reprefented than any
others, is natural ; but I do not readily com-
prehend, how he can be more eafily moved
and deceived, by diftreffes which he him-
ielf invented. Yet this degree of decep-
tion feems neceOary to make a man (hed
tears. . While thefe tears are flowing^ he
muft believe the woes he weeps are real:
be muft have been fo far deceiveid. by the
cunning of the fcene, as to Jiave forgot that
he was in a playboufe. The moment he
recolledis that the whole is fidion, his fym**
pathjr and teara mud: ceafe.

I (hould

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 261

I fliould be glad, however, to fee Vol-
taire prefent at the reprefentation of fome
of CorpeiUe or JRacine's tragedies, that I
might obferve whether he would difcover
more or lefs fenfibility than he has done at
his own. We ihould then be able to
afcertain this curious, difputed point, whe-
ther his fympathy regarded the piece or the
author,

Happy, if this extraordinary man had
Confined^ bis genius to its native home, to
the walks which the muies love, and where
he has always been received with diftin-
giiifhed honour, and. that he had never de-
viated from thefe, into jthe thorny paths of
controverfy ! For while he attacked the ty-
rants an4 opprelTors of mankind, and thofe
who have .ppr.verted the benevolent nature
of Cbjriilianity to the mod felfifh and ma«
lignant purpofes, it h for ever to be regret*
ted, that he .allowed the fliafts of his ridi-
cu|e to glaace uppil the' Chri^iaa religion
itielff • • •

S3 By

«J*.-5w

a62 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

By perfevering in thls» he has not only
fhocked the pious, but even difgufted infi^
dels, who accufe him of borrowing from
hiKifelf, and repeating the fame argument
in various publications; and feem as tired
of the ftale fneer againft the Chriftian doc*
trines, as of the duUefl: and moft tediout
fcrmons in fiipport of them.

Voltaire's behaviour during ficknefs has
been rcprefented in very oppofite lights. I
have heard much of his great contritioQ
and repentance, when he had reafon to be-
lieve his end approaching. Thefe flories,
had they been true, would have proved,
that his infidelity was afFefUtioq, and that
he was a believer and Chriftian in his heart.

I own I could never giv-e any credit *tt^
fueh reports ; fof though 1 have frequently
met with vajp young men/ who hsrye glteq
themfelves; air§ of free-thinkiog* while i^
reality they were even -fupejlHtipuSvy^^^ ?
pevdr fopld tinderftand v?hat;a" maft^litc
Yoltaire^ or atly-majf of cOmnfioii pnder-^

., . ' - '.ftandingi

I •?

* * .^,

I ■ . ,

I •

i
I

MANNEHS IN FRANCE, «rc. a«|

fianding, could propofe to himfelf by fuck
abfurd affeftatioQ. To pretend to defpife
what we really revere, acid to treat as hu-
man, what we belieye to be divine, is cer«-
toinly, of all kinds ci hypocrify, the moii
4tthpardonable.

I was at fome paiias to afcertaia this mat*-
ter ; and I have been aiTured, by thofe who
have liTed during many years in familiarity
Jwith himy that ali thefe ivories are without
foundation* They declaredj that although
he was unwilling to (|uit the enjoyment
of life, and ufed the means of preferving
health) he feemed no way afraid of the
conre<|uences of dying* That he neycr dif-
covered, either in health or ficknefs) any

r^toorfe for the works "imputed to him

againft the Chriftiau religion.— ^That, on

Che contrary^ he was blinded to fuch a de«

gree, as toexpreis-uneafinefs at the thoughts

•* • « * "

p{ dying brefoje Tome of them, ia which h«

Wji8 ai: tkkt time eogaged* were fialflied.

S 4 Though

964 Vl£W OF SOCIETY AND

Though this condud is not to be juflified
upon any fuppofition, yet there is more coa-
fidency, and, in my opinioni lefs wicked-^
nefs in it, if we admit the account which'
his friends give, than there would be in his^
writing at once againfl the eftablilhed opi-
nions of mankind, the convidion of his
own confcience, and the infpirations of the
Deity, merely to acquire the applaufe of a
few miftaken infidel;.

However erroneous he may have been^
I cannot fufpe£l: him of fuch abfurdity.
On the contrary, I imagine, that as fooa
as he is convinced of the truths of Chriil-9
ianity, he will openly avow his opiniout.
in health as in ficknefsi uniformly, Xi^ hi%
(aft moment.

• «

I V

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c.' »6s

J. E T T E R XXXI.

Geneva,

¥ N obedience to your requeft, I fliall give
you my opinion freely witk regard to
Lord ^s fcheme of fending his two

fons to be ed^ucated at Geneva.

The eldeft, if I remember right, is not
snore thao nine years of age ; and they have

advanced no farther in their education than
being able to read Englifh tolerably welL
His Lordfhip's idea is, that when they ihall
have acquired . a perfedl knowledge of the
I'Vench Language, they may be taught Latiq.
tlirough the medium of that Janguage, and
purfue anv other Audj that niay be thought

• -

proper.

. I have attended to his JiOrdfhip's objeq-
^118 againl); (he public fphooU io Eng;land,

ft66 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

and after due confideration, and weighing
levery ciriGumftance, I reiriain of opinion^
that no country but Great Britain is proper
for the education of a Britifh fubjed^ who
propofes to pafs his life in his own country.
The moft important pointy io my mind, to
be fecured in the education of a young man
of rah^ of oi^r country, is to make him an
Engliihman; and this can be done no
where fo effedually as in England*

He will there acquire thofe fentimentSt
that particular t^^fte and turn of mind,
which will make him prefer the govern-*
inetit, ^nd reliih the manners, the divert
iiooSy and general way of living, which
prevail in England^

He will there acquire that charader,
i?7hich diftinguiflies Engliflxmen' from th9
liatiyes of all the other countries of Eurbpe;

^nd which, once attained, however it may
be afterwards embellifhed or deformed, qaH
pever be entirely effacgtji

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c, ^iy

If it coald be proved^ that this cbara&er
18 not th^ mofl: amiable, it doe9 not follow
that it 18 not the mod expedient. It i$
fufHcient, that it is upon the v^hole moft
approved of iQ England. For I hold it as
indifputable^ that the good opinion of a
man's countrymen is of more importance
to him than that of all the reft of man«
kind: Indeed, without the firft^ he very
rarely can enjoy the fecpnd.

It is thought, that, by an early foreign
education, all ridiculous Englifh prejudices
vrill be avoided. This may be true; — but
other prejudices, perhaps as ridiculouSy and
much more detrimental, will be formed^
The firft cannot be attended with many in«
f:onveniencies j the fecojid niay render the
young people unl^appy in their own cpun--

* ■ • •

try when they return, and difagreeable tq
|heir countrymen all the reft of t heir lives.

. It is true, that the French manners are
?^dopted in s^lraoft every couiitry of Europe ;
they prevail ^l\ pyer GerqMoy aiid thfi

268 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

northern courts. They are gaining groiindt
though with a flower pace» in Spain, and in
the Italian ftates. — This is not the cafe in
England.— «The Engliih manners are uni«
verfal in the provinces, prevail in the capi-
tal, and are to be found uncontaminated
even at court.

In all the countries above mentioned, the
body of the people behold this preference
to foreign manners with difguft. But in
all thofe countries, the fentiments of the
people are difregarded ; whereas, in Eng-
land, popularity is of real importance ; and
the higher a man's rank is, the more he
will feel the lofs of it.

Befldes, a prejudice againft French man«
ners is not confined to the lower ranks in
England : — It is difFufed over the whole
nation. Even thofe who have none of the
ufual prejudices; — who do all manner of
jiiflice to the talents, and ingenuity of their
neighbours j^^who approve of French man-
eers in French people 5 yet cannot fuffer

them

btfi

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &o. 269

them when grafted on their countrymen.
Should an Englifti gentleman think 'this
kind of grafting at all admiffible, it will be
in fome of the loweft claffes with whom he
is conneded, as his tailor^ barber, valet-
de-chambre, or cook j— but neyer in his
friend.

I can fcarcely remember an inftance of
an Englifhman of fa(hion, who has evinced
in his drefs or ftyle of living a preference
to French manners, who did not lofe by it
in the opinion of his countrymen.

What I have faid of French manners is
applicable to foreign manners in general,
which are all in fome degree French, and
the particular differences are not diftin«>
guiflied by the Englifli.

The fentimentsof the citizens of Geneva
are more analogous in many refpeds to the
turn of thinking in England, than to the
general opinions in France. Yet a Gene-
vois in London will univerfally pafs for a
Frenchman.

iyd VlkW OF SOCIETY AND:

An Englifti boy, fcnt to Geneva at an
early period of life, and remaining there
fix or feven yisar^, if his parents be not
along with him, will probably," in the eyes
of the £ngliih, appear a kind of French-
man all his life after. This is an inconve-
nience which ought to be avoided with the
greateft attention.

With regard to the objedions againft
public fchools, they are, in many refpedis,
applicable to thofe of every country. But
I freely own, they never appeared to me
fufficient to overbalance the advantages
which attend that method of education;
particularly as it is conduced in Englifh
public fchools.

I have perceived a certain hardihood and
manlinefs of chara£|;er in boys who have
had a public education, fuperior to what
appears in thofe of the fame age educated
privately,

' At a public fchool, though a general at«
tention is paid to the whole^ in many pari^

ticulars

AfANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. ^71

ticulars each boy is neceffitated to decide
and ad for himfelf. tiis reputation among
hia companions depends folely on his own
condud. This gradually ftrengthens the
mindy. infpires firmnefs and decifion, and
prevents that wavering imbecility obier vable
in thptfe who have been long accuftomed to
rely upon the affiftance and opinion of
others.

The original imprefiions which fink into
the heart and mind,, and form the charac**
tw, never cl^nge.— The objed^ of our at-
tention vary in the different periods of life*
--'This is fometimes miftaken for a change
of charader, which in reality remains ef«»
ientiaUy the fatqe— *He who is refervedt
deceitful) cruel, or avaricious, when a boy,
mrill not, in any future period of lifet be-*
come open» faithful, coinpaffionate, or
generous.

The ^oung mind has, at a public khooU
the beft chance of receiving thofe feati-
ix^e^til whic^h iAdine the h^t to friend-

ihip,

%^^ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

fliip, and corrc6t felfiflinef^. They ara
drawn in by obferVation, which is infinitely
more powerful than precept*

A boy perceives, that courage, generd^
fity, gratitude, command the efteem and
applaufc of all his companions* He che-
riflies thefe qualities in his own breaft> and

endeavours to connedl hirafelf in friendfliip
with thofe who poflefs them.— He fees that

ineannefs of fpirit, ingratitude, and per-
fidy, are the objects of deteftation. — He
fkuns the boys who difplay any indications
of thefe odious qualities. What is the ob-
je£t of applaufe or contempt to his fchool-
fellows, he will endeavour to graft into, or
eradicate from, his own chara£ter^ with ten
thouiand times more eagernefs than that
which was applauded and cenfured by his
tutor oi' parents.

The admonitions of thefe laft have pro-
bgtbly loft their effe£t by frequent repeti-
tion ; or he may imagine their maxims are

only applicable to a former age, and to

S manners

MANKfeRS IN tRANCE^ &c. -273

faahncrs which ate bbfolcte. — But he feels
the fentiments of hrs companions afFe£t his
reputation and fame in the moft fenfible
manner.

In all the coiifttrres of Europe, England
excepted, fuch a deference is paid to boys
of rank at the public fchools, that emula-
tion, the chief fpur to diligence, is greatly
f>lantedb — Th6 boys in the middle rank of
life are deprefled by the infolence of theit
titled companions, which they are hot aU
lowed to correct ol: retaliatei-^— ^This has
the worft effed on the minds ctf both, by
tenderidg thefe more infolent, and thofe
liiore abje6t*

The public fchotils in England difdain
this mean partiality ; and are, on that ac--
count, peculiarly lifeful to boys of high
rank and great fortune. Thefe young peo*
pie are exceedingly apt to imbibe falf(; idpas
of their own importance, which in thofe
impartial feminaries will be perfedly afcer<>^
tained, and the real merit of the youths

Vol. !• T weighed

274 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

weighed in jufter fcales than are generally
to be found in a parent's houfe.

The young peer will be taught by the
mailers, and ftill more efFedually by hifS
comrades, this mod ufeful of all leflbns, —
to expefl: diftin£tion and efteem from per-
fonal qualities only; becaufe no other caa
make him eftimabie, or even fave him from
contempt.—— He^ill fee a dunce of high
rank flogged with as little ceremony as the
foa of a tailor; and the richeft coward
kicked about by his companions .equally
with the pooreft poltroon. — He will find
that diligence, genius^ and fpirit, are the
true fources of fuperiority and applaufe,
both within and without the fchool.

The a£live principle of emulation, when
allowed full play, as in the chief fchools in
Englandi operates in various ways, and al-
ways with a good efFed. If a boy finds

that he falls beneath his companions in
literary merit, he will endeavour to excel
them in intrepidity, or fome other accom-

plilhment.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, Sic. %1%

plifhment, If he be brought to difgrace

for negleding his exercife, he will try to
fave himfelf from contempt by the firmnefs
with which he' bears his puniftiment.

The liftleflnefs and indolence to be found
fo frequently among our young people of
rank, are not to be imputed to their educa-
tion at a public fchool, which in reality
has the greateft tendency to cpuntera<3:
thefe habits^ and often does fo, and gives
an energy to the mind which remains
through life.

Thofc wretched qualities creep on after-**
wards, when the youths become their owrt
mafters, and have enfeebled their minds
by indulging in all the pleafures which
fortune puts in their power, and luxury

prefents.

Upon the whole, t am clearly of opinion,

that the earlieft period of every Englifli-

jnan's education, during which the mind

receives the moftlaftingimpreffions, ought

to be ia England*

T 3 * If,

t76 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

If, however, the opinion of relations, or
any peculiarity in fuuation, prevents his
being educated at home, Geneva (hould be
preferred to any other place. Or ifj by
fomc neglefl:> either of his own or his
par^htS9 a young Englifh gentleman of for^
tune has allowed the firft years of youth
to tly unimproved, and has attained the age
of fcventcen or eighteen with little literary
knowledge, I know no place. where he ma;y
have a better chance of recovering what he
has loft than in this city. He may have a
choice of men of eminence, in every branch
of literature, to aflift him in his ftudies, a
great proportion of whom are men of ge«
nius, and as amiable in their manners as
they are eminent in their particular pro*-
feilions.

He will have conflant opportunities of
being in company with very ingenious
people, whofe thoughts and converfatioa
turn upon literary fubje£fcs. In fuch fo^
ciety, a young man will feiel the nccelSty c£

fame

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 277

ibme degree of fludy. This will gradually
fytm a taflie for knowledge! which may re*
main through life.

It may alfo be numbered among the ad*
vantages- of thia place, that there are few
objeds of diflipation, and hardly any
fources of amufement, befides thofe derived
from the natural beauties of the country,
and from an intimacy with a people by
whofe converfation a young man can fcarcc
fail to improve.

P. S. An Engliih nobleman and his lady
having taken the refolution of educating
their fon at Geneva, attended him hither,
and have effedually prevented the incon*
veniencies above mentioned, by remaining
with him for feven or eight years.

The hofpitality* generofity, and bene^
volent difpofitions of this family had ac«
quired them the higheft degree of popula-
rity. I faw them leave the place. Their
cajrriage could with difficulty move through

T 3 the

-v;

^78 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

the multitude, who were aflembled in the
ftreets.' — ^Numbers of the poorer fort,
who had been relieved by their fecret cha-
rity, unable longer to obey the injundions
of their benefador^, proclaimed their gra--
titude aloud.

The young gentleman was obliged to
come out again and again to his old friends
and companions, who preffed around the
cjoach to bid hin^ farewel, and exprefs their
forrow for his departure, and their wifties
for his profperity. The eyes of the parents
overflowed with tears of happinefs ; and the
whole family carried along with them the
^fFedions of the greater part, and the eftqein
pf all the citi?:cnSf

.^. .:

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 27^

LETTER XXXII.

Geneva.

CUICIDE is very frequent at Geneva* I
am told this has been the cafe ever fince
the oldeft people in the republic can re-
member; and there is reafon to believe,
that it happens oftener here, in proportion
to the number of inhabitants, than in Eng-
land, or any other country of Europe,

The multiplicity of inftances which has
occurred fince I have been here is aftonifh-
ing. Two that have happened very lately
are remarkable for the peculiar circum-
ftances which accompanied them.

The firft was occafioned by a fudden and
unaccountable fit of defpair, which feized
the fon of one of the wealthieft and moft

r 1 edlabie citizens of the republic. This

T 4 young

f,%9 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND.

young gentleman had, in appearance, every
reafoQ to be fatisfied with his lot« He was
handfome, and in the vigour of youth,
married to a woman of an excellent cha-r
rader, who had brought him a gfeat for-
tune, and by whom he was the father of 9
finechild. In the midfl: of all thefe bleffingSt
lurrounded by every thing which could in-
fpire 1^ man with an attachment to life,
he felt it infupportablei and without any
pbvious caufe of chagrin, determined to
deftroy himfdf.

Having pafied fgrne hours with his mo-
ther, a moft valuable woman, ^nd ^th his
wife and childt he left them in apparent
good humour, went into another room, ap-*
plied the muzzle of a muflfet to his fore-
head, thruft back the trigger with his t<*f
find blew out his brains, in the hearing of
the unfufped^ing com|)any he had juft
quitted.

The fecond inflance> is that of a black*v

frnith, who, taking tlje Aune fatui refolu^

* tioni

MANNERS IH f IIANCE, kc. »!^i

ment at hand, charged an old gUArbarrel
Vith » \^3fiQ of buUetSf and putting one
end ip-to the 6r^ of hi& forg^, tied a firing
to the handle of tbi^ hellowdj by pulling of
whkh ifi coi^d make tbi^n play, while he
was at a convenient diifta^cc. Kn:eelin^
dawn» he theiik placjcd his he^d ne^ir the
yiouth pf t^ barrel ^od inoving the bel*
Iqw3 by Hicfwis of the ftring, ihey blew up
the fire, he keeping bis head with aftonifli-
Ij^^ firmijiefs, ^nd borriWe delibeiaUon^ in
thftt polition* till the farther end of the
b»rrel w»8 fb heated as to kiadje the pow-
der, whofe explofion inft^ntjy drove the
bullets through his braips*

Though I know that this happened li-
terally as I have related, yet there i*
fbmething fo extraordinary, and almofl: in-
credible, in the circumftances, that perhaps.
I (hould not have mentioned it, had it not
beei} wiell attefted* ?nd known to the inha-

bicaqts

ftfei VIEW OF SOCIETY AND'

bitants of Geneva, and all the Englifli ^ho
are at prefent here.

Why fuicide is more frequent in Great
Britain and Geneva than elfewhere, would
be a matter of curious inveftigation. For it
appears very extraordinary, that men ftiould
be moft inclined to kill themfelves in coun-
tries where the bleffings of life are beft
fecured. There muft be fome ftrong and
peculiar caufe for an efFe£k fo prepofterous.

Before coming here, I was of opiniout
that the frequency of fuicide in England,
was occafioned in a great meafure by the
ftormy and unequal climate, which, while
It clouds the fky, throws alfo a gloom over
the minds of the natives. — To this caufe,
foreigners generally add, that of the ufe of
coal, inftead of wood for fuel.

I refted fatisfied with fome vague theory*
built on thefe taken together : — But nei-
ther can account for the fame effe£t at Ge-
neva, where coal is not ufed, and where

the

MANNERS IN FRANCE^ &c. 283

the climate is the fame with that in Swit-
zerland, Savoy, and the neighbouring parts
of France, where inftances of fuicide are
certainly much more rare.

Without prefuming to decide what are
the remote caufes of this fatal propenfity,
it appears evident to me, that np reafoning
can have the fmalleft force in preventing
it, but what is founded upon the foul's im-
mortality and a future ftate. — What efFedt
can' the common arguments have on a. man
who does not believe that neceflary and im-
portant dodrlne I — He may be told, that
he did not give himfelf life, therefore he
has no right to take it away; — that he is a
centinel on a poft, an^ ought to remain till
he is relieved; — what is all this to the
man who thinks he is nevpr to be quef-^
tioned for his violence and defertion ?

If you attempt to pique this man's pride,
1/ aflerting, that it is a greater proof of
courage to bear the ills of life, than to flee
frpra them j he will anfwer ycu from the
^" . Roman

aJ4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Roman hiftoryi and afk. Whether C^tOp
Giifius, and Marcus BrutuSj were cowards ?

The great legiflator of the Jews feems
to have been convinced, that no law or
argument againfl; fuicide could have any
influence on the minds of people who were
ignorant of the foul's immortality; and
therefore, as he did not think it neceflary
to inftrudt them in the one (for reaibna
which the Bifliop of Gloucefter has un«
folded in his treatife on the Divine Legation
of Mofes)^ he aUb thought it fuperfluous

to give tbeoi any ezprefs I4W ag^inft the
other.

Thofe philofophers, therefore, who have
endeavoured to ihake this great and im-^
portant convidion from the minds of men,
have thereby opened a door to fuicide as
well as to other crimes, — For> whoever rea-*
fons againft that, without founding upon
the dodrine of a future ftate, will Toon fea
all his arguments oyerturoed*

MANNERS IN f RANGE, &c. 26$

It muft be acknowledged, indeed, that
in many cafes this queftion is decided by
men's feelings, independent of reafonings
of any kind.

Nature has not trufted a matter of fo

great importance entirely to the fallible
reafon of man ; but has planted in the
human bread fuch a love of life, and horror
of death, as feldom can be overcome evedi
by the greateft misfortunes.

But there is a difeafe which fometimea
affeds the body, and afterwards communi-
cates its baneful influence to theinind» over
which it hangs fuch a cloud of horrors as
renders life abfolutely infupportable. In
this dreadful date, every pleating idea is
baniflied, and all the fources of comfort
in life are poifoned.— Neither fortunet
honours, friends, nor family, can afford the
fmalleft fatisfadion.- Hope, the laft pil-
lar of the wretched, falls to the ground—
Defpair lays hold of the abandoned fufferer

—Then all reafoning becomes vain-
Even

286 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Even arguments of religion have no weight,
and the poor creature embraces death as
his only friend, which, as he thinks, may
terminate, but cannot augment, his mifery*

lam, &c.

P. S. You need not write till you- heat
from me again, as I think it is probable
that we fhall have left this place before your
letter could arrive.

MANNERS :IN FRANCE, &c. ag/

LETTER XXXIII.

Laufanne*

np H E Duke of Hamilton haying a defire
to vifit fome of the German Courts,
xve bade adieu to our friends at Geneva,
and are thus fat on our intended journey.
It is of peculiar advantage in Germany,
above all other countries, to be in company
•with a man of rank and, high title, becaufe
it facilitates your reception every where,
and fuperfedes the neceffity of recommen*
datory letters.

I have met here with my friend Brydone,
whofe company and converfation have re-
tarded our journey, by fupplying the chief
objefts of travelling, if amufement and in-
ftrudion are to be ranked among them.
He is here with the Marquis of Lindfay,
a lively, fpirited young man j — one of thofe

eafy,

. I

m VIEW Of i6ctttY ATfiti

eafyy carelefs charaders, fo much beloved
by their iatimates, and fo regardlefs of theS
opinion of the reft of mankind.

Since you hold me to my promife of
writing fo very regularly, you muft fome-*
times expeft to receive a letter dated from
three or four different places, when cithef
my ihort ftay in one place depriv6s^ me of
the leifure, or meeting with ncrthin^g tin*
common in another, deprives me ef m'ate^
rials' for fo long a letter as you require*

The road from Geneva to this town is
along the fide of the lake, through a de-
lightful country, abounding in vineyardst
which produce the vin de la c6te^ fo much
efteemed. All the little towns on the way,
Nyon, Rolle, and Morges, ate finely fitu-
ated, neatly built, and inhabited by a thriv^*
ing and contented people.

Laufanne is the capital 6f this charm-*
ing country, which formerly belonged to
the Duke of Savoy, but is now under the
dominion of iht canton df Bef n.

Howerer

MAKNfekS IK FkANCEi &c. a^g

However mortifying this may be to the
former pofleflbr, it has certainly been a
happy difpenfation to the inhabitants of the
Pays de Vaud^ who are in every refpeft
more at their eafei and in a better fituation^
than any of the fubjedts of his Sardinian
Majefty.

This city is fituated neaf the lake, and
at the diftance of about thirty miles from
Geneva. As the nobility, from the coun-
try, and from fome parts of Switzerland,
and the families of feveral oflScers who
have retired from fervice, refide here, there
is an air of more eafe and gaiety (perhaps
alfo more politenefs) in the focieties at
Laufanne, than in thofe of Geneva ; at leaft
this is firmly believed and aifelrted by all
the nobles of this place, who confider
themfelves as greatly fuperior td the citi-
zens of Geneva. Thefe, da the other
hand, talk a good deal of the poverty, fri-
voloufneis, and ignorance of thpfe fame
nobility, and make no fcruple of ranking

Vol. I. U their

ago VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

their own enlightened mechanics above
them in every effential quality.

Vevajr.

The road between Laufanne and Vevay
is very mountainous ; but the mountains are
cultivated to the fummits, and covered with

vines. ^This would have b^en imprafti-

cable on account of the fleepnefs, had not
the proprietors built ftrong ftone-walls at
proper intervals, one above the other,
which fupport the foil, and form little
terraces from the bottom to the top of the
mountains.

The peafants afcend by narrow ftairs,
and, before they arrive at the ground they
are to cultivate, have frequently to mount
higher than a mafon who is employed in
repairing the top of a fteeple.

The mountainous nature of this country
fubjeds it to frequent torrents, which,

whea

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &<?. i^t

tirhen violent, fweep away vines, foil, add
■Walls in one common deftrudfion. The
inhabitants behold the havoc with a ileady
concern, and, without giving way to. the
clamorous rage of the French, or finking
into the gloomy defpair of the Englifh,
think only of the moft efFedual means of
repairing the lofs.-^— As foon as the ftorm
has abated, they begin, with admirable pa-
tience and perfeverance, to rebuild the
walls, to carry fre(h earth on hurdles to the
top of the mountain, and to fpread a new
foil wherever the old has been wafhed
away.

Where property is perfeflily fecure^
and men allowed to enjoy the fruits of
their own labour, they are capable of
efforts unknown in thofe countries where
defpotifm renders every thing precarious,
and where a tyrant reaps what ilaves have
fown.

This part of the P^ys de Vaud is inha-
bited by the defcendants of thofe unhappy

U 3 people.

292 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANO

people, who were drivea by the mod ab-
furd and cruel perfecution from the vallies
of Piedmont and Savoy.

I will not aflerts that the iniquity of the
perfecutors has been vifited upon their
children ) but the fuJEPerings and ftedfafl*
nefs of the perfecuted feem to be recom-
penfed by the happy (ituation in which
their children of the third and fourth gene-
rations are now placed.

Vevay is a pretty little town, containing
between three and four thoufand inhabit*
ants- It is fweetly fituated on a plain»
near the head of the lake of Geneva, where
the Rhone enters. The mountains behind
the town, though exceedingly high, are
entirely cultivated, like thofe on the road -
from Laufanne.

TThere is a large village about half-way

up the mountain, in a direct line above

Vevay, which, viewed from below, feems

adhering to the fide of the precipdce, and

has ayery fingular and romantic appearance.

The

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c, 293

The principal church is detached from
the town, and fituated on a hill which
overlooks it. From the terrace, or church*^
yard, there is a view of the Alps, the
Rhone, the lake, with town^ and villages
6n its margin.—— Within this church the
body of General Ludlow is depofited. That
fteady republican withdrew from Laufanne
to this place, after the affaflination of his
friend Liile, who was (hot through the'
heart, as he was going to church, by a
ruffian, who had come acrofs the lake for
that purpofe, and who, amidft the confu-
fioa occafioned by the murder, got fafe to
the boat, and efcaped to the Duke of Savoy^s
territories on the other fide, where he was
openly protected. — ^This was a pitiful way
of avenging the death of a monarch, who,
whether juftly or not, had been publicly
condemned and executed.

There is a long Latin epitaph on Lud«
low's monument, enumerating many cir«
cumflances of his life, but omitting the

U 3 tooft

^4 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

mod remarkable of them all. Hie is called*
Patrise libertatis defenfor, et poteftatis arbi-
trari^ propugnator acerrimus *, &c, — But
no nearer hint i% giyen of his having been
onqof King Charles the Firft's judges, and of
bis having figned the featence againil that
ill-fated Prince.

However fond the Swifs in general may
be of liberty, and however partial to its
aflertors, it is prefumable that thofe who
protected Ludlow did not approve of this
part of his dory, and on that account a
particular mention of it was not made on
bis tomb*

. There is no travelling by poll through
Switzerland ; we therefore hired horfes at
Geneva, to carry us to Bafil ; from whence
we can proceed by poft to Strafbourg,
which is the route we defign to take. We
leave Laufanne the day after to-morrow.

* A defender of the liberty of his native country, and ^
jetprmined pppqfer of arbitrary power, &c.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 295

LETTER XXXIV.

Bern.

/^ N my return from Vevay to Laufanne,
I found our friend Mr. Harvey, at
the inn, with the Duke of Hamilton. His
Grace inclines to remain fome time longer
at that city; but defired that I might pro-
ceed with the carriages and all the fervants,
except his valet-de-chambre and one foot-
man, at Strasbourg, which I readily agreed
to, on his promifing to join me there within
a few days. Harvey, at the fame time,
made the very agreeable propofal of accom-
panying me to Strafbourg, where he will
remain till our departure from thence, leav-
ing his chaife for the Duke.

We . began our journey the following
day, and were efcorted as far as Fayerne by

U 4 . ' MefTrs.

1^6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

MeiTrs. Brydone and Humberfton, where
we paflfed a gay evening, and proceeded next
morning to the town of Avanche, the ca*
pital of Switzerland in Tacitus's time f*.

No country in the world can be more
agreeable to travellers during the fummer
than Switzerland : For, beiides the com^
modious roads and comfortable inns, fome
of the moft beautiful objedls of nature,
woodsi mountains, lakes intermingled with
fertile fields, vineyards, and fcenes of the
moft perfe<3: cultivation, are here prefented
to the eye in greater variety, and on a larger
fcalci than in any other country.

f Near this town* the Helvetians were defeated by Cae^
cina, one of Vitellitts's Lieutenants. -—Multa hominum miU
lia cxfsi, multa (lib corona venaoidat^. Cumque direptit
pmnibas^ Ayenticum gentis caput juf!o agnoine peteretor.

Tsiciti Hlftoria, lib. i. cap. 68.

•—Many tboafands were flain, and many thoufands fold a^
flaveff; and, after committing great ravage* the army
marched in order of battle to Aventicum the capital of the

From

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c, ^y

From Avanche we advanced to Murten^
or Murat, as it 13 pronounced by the
French, a neat little town, fituated upon a
rifing groundi on the fide of the lake of the
famenam^.

The army of Charles Duke of Burgundy,
befieging this town, was defeated, with
great flaughter, by the Swifs, in the year
J476. Near the road, within a mile of
Murat, there is a little building full of hu-^
man bones, which are faid to be thofe of
the Burgundians (lain in that battle. As

this curious cabinet was ereded many years
after the battle, it may be fuppofed, that
fome of the bones of the viftors are here
packed up along with thofe of the van-*
i^uifhed, in order to fwell the collection.

There are feveral infcriptions on the
chapel.

DEO OPTIM, MAX.
CAROLI INCLITI ET FORTISSIMI BURGUNDIiE DUCIS
^XERCITUS MURATUM OBSIDENS AB HELVETIIS
C^SUS HOC SU} MONyM£NTUM REUQjnT, 1476.

a9« VIEW OF SOCIETY AND
On another fide is the following :

SACELLUM

QUO RELIQUIAS

EXERCITUS BURGUNDICI

AB HELVETIIS, A. 1476,

PIA ANTIOyiTAS CONDIDm

RENOVARI

VIISQUE PUBLICIS MUNIRI

JUSSERUNT

RERUM NUNC DOMINiE

RElPUBLICiE

BERNENSIS ET FRIBURGENSIS

ANNO 1755.

The borders of the lake of Murat are
enriched with gentlemen's houfes, and vil-
lages in great abundance.

The drefs, manners, and perfons of the
inhabitants of this country indicate a differ-
ent people from the Genevois, Savoyards,
or ihe inhabitants of the Pays de Vaud.

We dined at Murat, and remained feve-
ral hours in the town. , There was a fair,
and a great concourfe of people, ■ T he
Swifs peafants are the talleft and moft ro-

buft

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 299

buft I have ever feen. Their drefs is very
particular.— They have little round hats,

like thofe worn by the Dutch fkippers. —
Their coats and waiilcoats are all of a kind
of coarfe black cloth*— ^Their breeches are
fnade of coarfe linen, fomething like Tailors
trowfers ; but drawn together in plaits be-
low the knees, and the (lockings are of the
fame ftuflF with the breeches.

The women wear fliort jackets, with a
great fuperfluity of buttons. The unmar-
ried women value themfelves on the length
of their hair, which they feparate into two
divifions, and allow to hang at its full
length, braided with ribands in the Ra-
millie faftiion.—— After marriage, thefc
treffes are no longer . permitted to hang
down; but, being twifted round the head
in fpiral lines; are fixed at the crown with
large filver pins. This is the only differ*
ence, in point of drefs, which matrimony
makes^

Married

300 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

Married and unmarried wear ftraw hatS|

ornamented with black ribands. So far
the women's drefs is becoming, enough;
but they have an awkward manner of &c.
ing their petticoats fo high as to leave
hardly any waift. This encroachment of
the petticoats upon the waift, with the
amazing number they wear, gives a iize
and importance to the lower and hind part
of the body to which it is by jio means en**
titled) and mightily deforms the; appear-
ance of the whole perfon.

The elegant figure of the Venus de
Medicisi or of the Duchefs of Devonfliire,
would be itnpaired, or annihilated, under
fuch a prepofterous load of drcfs.- As
we arrived only this afternoon, I can lay
nothing of Bern. You ihall hear more ia
my next. Meanwhilei I ami &c«

MANNERS IN F!tANC£» &c. ^ot

J. E t T E R XXXV.

Bern.

XJERN is a regular well-built town, with
fome air of magnificence. The houfes
are of a fine white free-ftone, and pretty
uniform, particularly in the principal ftreet,
where they are all exadly of the fame
height. There are piazzas on eaoh fidet
with a walk', raifed four feet above the
level of the ftreet, very commodious in
wet weather.

A fmall branch of the Aar has been
turned into this ftreet, and being confined
to a narrow channel in the middle, which
has a confiderable dope, it runs with great
rapidity ; and, without being a difagreeable
obje£t of itfelf, is of great fervice in keep*
ing the ftreet dean.

9 Another

jot VIEW OF SOCIITTY ANll

Another circumftance contributes to ren-
der this one of the moft cleanly towns
in Europe: — Criminals are employed in re-
moving rubbifli from the ftreets and public
walks. The more atrocious delinquents
are chained to waggons, while thofe who

•9

are condemned for fmaller crimes, are em-
ployed in fweeping the light rubbiflx into
the rivulet, and throwing the heavier into
the carts or waggons, which their more
criminal companions are obliged to pufh or
draw along.

Thefe wretches have collars of iron fixed
aroubd their necks, witha projefting handle
in the form of a hook to each, by which,
on the fligHteft offence or mutiny, they
may be (eized, and are entirely at the com-
mand of the guard, whofe duty it is to fee
Aem perform their work.-^People of both
fexes are condemned to this labour for
months, years, or for life, according to the
nature of their crimes.

It is alleged, that over and above the de-
terring from crime*} which is effeded by

this,

MANNERS IN FRANCE, ice. J03'

this, in commoa with the other methods
of puniihing, there is the additional advan-
tage, of obliging the criminal to repair hy

his labour the injury which he has done to
the community.

I fufped, however, that this advantage
is overbalanced by the bad efFeds of habi-
tuating people to behold the mifery of their
fellow' creatures, which I imagine gradu-
ally hardens the hearts of the fpedbitorst
and renders them lefs fufceptible of the
emotions of compaflion and pity; — feel-
ings, which, perhaps, of all others, have the
beft influence upon, and are the moft be-
coming, human nature. Juvenal fays,

— — molliffima corda

Humartp generi dare fc natura fatetur.
Quae laclirymas dedit: haec noftri pars opti*
ma fenfus*.

* Nature avows, that (he has bedowed the mod compaf-
ilonate hearts on the human race, by giving them tears |
and this fenfibility is the bed quality of our minds»

Wherever

|d4 VIEW Of SOCIETY AUQ

Wherever public executions and puniih«
Stents are frequent/ the common people
have been obferved to acquire a greater de^
gree of infenfibility, and cruelty of difpofi-^
tion» than in places where fuch fcenes kU
dom occur.— I remember, while I was at
Geneva, where executions are very rare, a
young man was condemned to be hanged
for murder, and there was a general
gloom and uneafinefs evident in every fo*
eiety for feyeral days before and after the
execution.

The public buildings at Bern, as the bo^
fpital, the granary, the guard-houfe, the
arfenal, and the churches, are magnificent*
There is a very elegant building juft com-
pleted, with accommodations for many
public amufementa» fuch as balls» concerts,
and theatrical entertainments. There are
alfo apartments for private focieties and af-
femblies. It was built by a voluntary fub«
fcriptioa among the nobility} and no fo-
cieties,

MANNERS IN FkANCE, &c. 305

deties, but of the patrician order, are al«
lowed there*

Theatrical entertainments are feldotn
permitted at Bern; none have as yet been
performed at this new theatre.

The walk by the great church Was for-
merly the only public walk, and much ad-
mired on account of the view from it, and
the peculiarity of its (ituation, being on a
level with the ftreets on one fide, and fome
hundred feet of perpendicular height above
them on the other. But there is now ano*-
ther public walk, at fome diftance without
the town, which has been lately made upon
a high bank by the fide of the, Aar, and is
the moft magnificent I ever faw belonging
to this or any other town. From it there is
a commanding view of the river, the town
of Bern, the country about it, ,and the
Glaciers of Switzerland.

I have vifited the library, where, befides

the books, there are a few antiques^ and

Yql. I. X fome

3o6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

fome other curiofities. The fmall figure of
the prieft pouring wine between the horn*
pf a bull, is valuable only becaufe it illuf-
(rates a paflage in VirgiU and has been
mentioned by Addifon.

An addition was lately naade to this li-
brary by a coUecaiion of Englifti • booksi
xnagnificently bound, which were fent as
a prefent by an Englifti gentleman ; who,
though he has thought proper to cooceal
Jiis name, has fufficiently , difcovcred his
political principles by the nature of the
colledion, amongft which, I diftinguiflied
Miltoa's works, particularly his profe writ-
ings; Algernon Sidney on Governm-ent,
Locke, Ludlow's Memoirs, Gordon's tranT-
latioo of Tacitus, Addifon's works^ parti-
cularly The Freeholder; Marvel's works,
StecPsj &c. They were the largeft and
fined editions, and might be about the value
of 20ol. — This gentleman made a prefent
of the fame nature to the public library
at Geneva.

^ I happened

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &fc. 307

I happened to open the Glafgow edi-
tion of Homer, which I faw here, on a
blank page of which was an addrefs in
Latin to the Corfican General, Paoli, figned
James BofwelL This very elegant book
had been fent, I fuppofe> as a prefent from
Mr. Bofwell to his friend the General ; and,
when that unfortunate chief was obliged to
abandon his country, fell, with other of
his efFefts, into the hands of the Swifs
cflScer in the French, fervicq, who made a
prefent of the Homer to this library.

The arfenal I could not have omitted fee-
ing had I been fo inclined, as the Bernois
value themfelves on the trophies contained
in it, and upon the quantity, good condi-
tion, and arrangement of the arms.

Nothing interefted me fo much as the
figures of the brave Switzers, who firft took
arms againft tyranny, and that of William
Tell, who is reprefented aiming at the
apple on his fon's head. I contemplated
tltis with an emotion which was created

X 2 by

jot VTEW OF SOCIETY ANI*

by the circtrmftiances of the ftory, not by
the workmanfhip J format that motnent, P
fhould have beheld with riegle(St the moft
exquilite ftatue that ever was formed of
Auguftus Csefar.

Surely no chara^ers have fo juft a elaim
to the admiration and gratitude of pofterity^
as thofe who have freed their countrymen
from the capricious infolence of tyrants r
And whether aU the incidents of Tell's
ftory be true or fabulous,* the men (who-
ever they were) who rouled and incited
their fellow-citizens to throw off the Auf-
trian yoke, deferve to be regarded as pa-
triots, having undoubtedly been aftuated
by that principle, fo dear to every generous
heart, the fpirit of independence.

'^ Who with the gen'^rous ruftics fate^^
•^ On Uri's rock, in clofe divan,-
" And winged that arrow fure as fate,
*< Which afcertain'd the facred rights of
« man/'

Mr.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 30$

Mr. Addifon obferves, that there is no
great pleafure in vifitingarfenals, merely to
fee a repetition of thefe magazines of war ;
yet it is worth whik, as it gives an idea of
the force of a ftate, and ferves to fix in the
mind the moft confiderable parts of its
hiftory*

The arms taken from the Burgundians,
in the various battles which eftablifhed the
liberty of Switzerland, are difplayed herej
alfo the figure of the General of Bern, who,
in the year ii'36, conquered the Pays de
Vaud from Charles III. Duke of Savoy.— ■
Arid, if they have no trophies to fhew of a
later date, I am convinced it is becaufc
they are too poor and too wife to aim at
any extenfion of dominion: — And becaufe
all the neighbouring powers are at length
become fenfible, that the nature of their
country, and their perfonal valour, have
rendered the Swifs as unconquerable, as
from political confideratiotis, they are averfe
to attempt conquefts,

^ I

310 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

LETTER XXXVI.

Bern.

npHE difFerent cantons of Switzerland,
though united together by a common

bond, and all of a republican form of go-
vernment, differ in the nature of that form,
a8 well as in religion.

The Roman Catholic religion being fa-
vourable to monarchy, one would naturally
imagine, that, when adopted by a republic,
it would gradually wind up the govern-
ment to the higheft pitch of ariftocracy.

The fad neverthelefs is, that thofe can-
tons, which are in the ftrongeft degree de-
mocratical, are of the Popifh perfuafion;
and the moft perfe^S: ariftocracy of them
all is eftabliihed in this Proteftadt canton of
Bern, which is alfo indeed the moft pow-
erful la extent of country, and number

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 311

of Inhabitants, it is reckoned nearly equal
to all the others taken together.

The nobility of Bern are accufed of an
extraordinary degree of pride and ftateli-
nefs. They affecfi to keejp the citizens at
2, great diftance; and it is with difficulty
that their wives and daughters will conde^
fcend to mix with the mercantile families
at balls, afiemblies, and fuch public occa->'
fions, where numbers feem eflential to the
nature of the entertainment; by which
means a nobility ball lofes in cheerfulnefs
what it retains in dignity, and is often^ as
I am told^ as devoid of amufement as it is
folemn*

. The whole power of the government, and
all the honourable offices of the flate, are
in the hands of the nobility. As it is not
permitted them to trade, they would 'natu-
rally fall into poverty without this refource:
But by the number of places which the
nobles enjoy, and to which very confider-r

X 4 able

312 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

abk penfions are annexed, the pooreft of
them are enabled to fupport their families
l/vith dignity.

The bailliages, into, which the whole
canton and the conquered territories are
divided^ form lucrative and honourable
eftablilhments for the principal families of
Bern. The bailiff is governor apd judge
in his own diftrifty and there is a magni*
licent chateau in each for his accomipoda-
tion. An appeal may be made from all
fubordinate courts to him ; as alfo from his
deciiion, to the council at Bern.

The nobility of Bern, though born to be
judges, are not always inftruded in law.
It has therefore been thought requifite, to
appoint a certain number of perfons, as th?ip
afleffors, who have been bred to the pro*
feffion. But in cafe the judge fhould differ
from thofe affefrors, and retain his own
opinion in fpite of their remonftrances, as
motility h2(s the prece4ency of law, the de-

difiQa

MANNERS IN FRANCE, kc, 313

eifion muft be given according to the will
of the judge.

This office remains in the hands of the
fame perfon for the term of fix years only.
I have been informed, that in fome of thefe
bailliages, the governor may live with pro-
per magnificence, and lay up, during the
period of his office, two or three thoufand
pounds, without extortion, or unbecoming
parfimony. There is no law againft big
being afterwards named to another bailliage*

The executive power of the government,
vfiih all the lucrative and honourable of-
fices, being thus in the hands of the nobi-*
lity, it may be imagined, that the middle
and lower ranks of people are poor and op-
prefled. This, however, is by no means
the cafe} for the citizens, I mean the mer**
chants and trades-people, feem, in general,,
to enjoy all the comforts and conveniencies
of life, And the peafantry is uncommonly
wealthy throughout tb« whole cantoa of

The

314 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

The Swifs have no objeftion to their
nobles being their judges, and to the prin-
cipal offices of government remaining ia
their hands. They look upon the nobility
as their natural fuperiors, and thinks that
they and their families ought to be fup-
ported with a certain degree of fplendor :— •
But the power of dire<a' taxation is a differ-
ent queftion, and muft be managed with
all poffible caution and delicacy. It is a
common caufc, and the condudl of the
nobles in this particular is watched with
very jealous eyes. ' They are fufficiently
aware of this, and ufe their power wirti
moderation. But left the nobles fhould at
any time forget, a very good hint is given
in a German infcription in the arfenal, im*^
plying, That the infolence and rapacity of
high rank had brought about the liberty of
Switzerland.

A people who have always arms in their
lidcads, and form the only loilitary force of

^ the

MANNERS^ IN FRANCE, &c. 315

the country,, are in no danger of being op-
preffed and irritated with taxes.

It has been confidered by feme as a per-^^
nicious policy in the Swifs, to allow fo
many of their inhabitants to ferve as mer-
cenaries in the different armies of Europe.
There are others, who confider this mea--
fure as expedient, or lefs pernicious in the
Swifs cantons, than it would be in any other
country.

They who fupport this opinion, affert,
that every part of Switzerland, which is ca-
pable of cultivation, is already improved to
the higheft degree; that, after retaining a
fufficient number of hands to keep it al-
\<^ys in this condition, and for the fupport
of evefy manufadory, ftill there remains
a furpliis of inhabitants, which for'msjhe
troops that are allowed to go into foreign
fervices. They add, that th^fe troops only
engage for a limited number of years, after
the expiration of which, many of them rcr
\\xvn with money to their native country;

3i6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

and all of them, by ftipulatioa, may be re«
called by the ftate on any emergency. — By
this means, they retain a numerous and
well-difciplined army on foot; which^ fo
far from being a burden, in reality enriches
the ftate: — an advantage which no other
people ever poftefled*

There is ftill another motive for this
meafure, which, though it be not openly
avowed, yet, I fufpefl;, has conflderable
weight: The council are perhaps afraid,
that if the young nobility were kept at
home, where they could have but few ob«
jed$ to occupy them, they might cabal and
fpread diflentions in the ftate; or perhapst
through idlcnefs and ambition, excite dan*
gerous infurredlions among the peafants.
For, although the laws are fevere againft
ftate crimes, and eafily put in execution
againft ordinary offenders, it cnight be dif-
ficult and dangerous to puniflx a popular
young nobleman.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 317

It may on thefe accounts be thought
highly prudent, to allow a large proportion
of them to eKhau(l> in fome foreign fer-
vice, the fiery and reftlefs years of youth,
which at home might have been fpent in
fadion and dangerous intrigues. Very
probably the ftates would incline to per-
mit the officers to go, while they retained
the private men at home^ but are under a
neceffity of allowing the latter alfo, becaufe
without them the officers could not be
raifed to thofe diftinguiCbed fituations in
foreign fervices which are their greateft in-
ducements to leave their own country.

After having ferved a certain time, a!-
moft all of them return to Switzerland.
Some, becaufe they are tired of diilipation ;
others to inherit a paternal eftate; and
many with penfions from the Princes they
have ferved.— The heat of youth is then
moft probably over.— They begin to afpire
to thofe offices in their own country to
which their birth gives them a claim, and

which

3i8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

v^hich they now prefer to the luftre of mi-
litary rank. They wilh to fupport thofii
laws, and that government, which they find
fo partial to their families ; or they defire
to pafs the remainder of life in eafe and re-
tirement on their paternal eftatcs*

' It is remarkable, that the Swifs oflScctSt
who return from foreign fervices, particu-*
lafly that of France, inftead of importing
French manners to their native mountains,
^nd infeding their countrymen with the
luxuries and fopperies of that nation, throw
off all foreign airs with their uniform^ and
immediately refume the plain and frugal
flyle of life which prevails in their own
country.

, *■

» I -.1

v»

v^,

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 319

LETTER XXXVII.

BafiL

TJAVING, on a former occafion, made a
more extenfive tour through Switzer-
land, we determined not to deviate from
the dired road to Stralbourg. In purfuance
of this refolution, Harvey and I, when we
left Bern, pafled by Soleurre, the capital of
the canton of the fame name.

Soleurre is an agreeable little town fitu-
ated on the river Aar. The houfes arc
neatly built, and not inelegant; the mean-
eft of them have a cleanly appearance.
The common people feem to be in eafier
circumftances, and have a greater air of
content, than in any Roman Catholic coun-
try I have ever vifited. The inn where we

S lodged

320 VIEW OF SOCIETY AUt)

lodged has the comfortable look of an Eng-»
lifli one. The French ambaflador to the
cantons has his refidence in this town. One
of the churches of Soleurre is the moft mag-
nificent modern building in Switzerland.

The arfenal is flored with arms, in pro-
portion to the number of inhabitants in the
canton ; and there are trophiess and other
monuments of the valour of their anceftors,
as in the arfenal of Bern. In the middle
of the hall there are thirteen figures of men
in complete armour, reprefeatiog the thir-
teen Swifs cantons.

The country between Soleurre and Bafil|
though very hilly, is beautiful, perhaps
the more fo on that account; becaufe of
the variety of furface and different views it
prefents. Harvey and I had more leifure
to admire thofe fine landfcapes than we
wiftied, for the axle-tree of the chaife
broke at fome miles diftant from Bafil.

kAKNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 321

tt tviis the gay feafoa of the vintage*—
iThe couhtfy was crowded with pcafantry
t)f Ijoth fexes and every age, dll employed
ih gathering and carrying home the grapes.
Oirr wafk for thefe few miles was agreeable
and amufirig. In all countries this is the
fcafott of joy and feftivity, and approaches
tieareft tfie exaggerated defcriptioh which
the ancient poets have given of rural hap-
ipinefs. Perhaps there is in reality not fo
mtich exaggeration in their dfifcription, as
ftlteratiDn in our marinerSi — For if the pea*
fkms v\rcre alldwed to enjoy the fruits of
their own labour, wou^^ not their lives bd
more delightful than thofe of any other
people ? — Ih fpite of poverty and oppreflion^-
a happy erithufiafm, a charming madriefs,^
and perfe£t oblivion of care, are difFufed[
iall over France during the vintage.-r-£very
village is enlivened with mufic, dancing, and
gleej—^and were it not for their tattered
clothes and emaciated countenances, one
vho viewed them in the vintage feafon.

Vol, I. Y would

342 View of society and

would imagine the country people of France
in a fituation ^8 enviable as that which, ac^
cording to the poets, was formerly enjoyed
by the Shepherds of Arcadia.— The pea-
fantry of this country have not fo great a
fenfibility or expreffion of joy ; and though
blefTed with health, freedom, and abun-
dance, a compofed fatisfa£kion, a kind of
phlegmatic good-humour, mark the boun-
daries of their happinefs.

When we arrived at Bafil, wfe went di-»
jreCtly to the Three Kings. This inn, in
point of fituation, is the moft agreeable you
can well imagine. The Rhone walhes its
walls, and the windows of a large dining-*
room look acrofs that noble river to the
fertile plains on the oppofite fide*

I am juft returned from /that fame ditiing*
room, where Harvey and I thought pro-
per to fup.— There were ten or a dozen
people at table. I fat next to a genteel-
looking man from Stralbourg, with whom I

converfed

I»JAKNfeRS IN FRAN<:;E, iec. ^i^

tbnv*rfed a good dell duHng fiippcn He
had for hid coblpanioU a round-faced, tofyi
plump gentlemab) from Amfierdatht who
did not fpeak French; but the Strafbufghet
addrefled him from time to time in hov^ *
Dutch> to which the other replied hj nods.

When the retreat of the greater part of
the company had contrafted the little circle
which remained, I exprefled fome regret 16
my Strafbourg acquaintance, that Mir. Har-^
vey and I could not fpeak a little Dutch ; or
that his friend could not fpeak French, that
we might enjoy the pleafure of his conver-
fation. This was immediately tranilated
to the Dutchman, who heard it with great
compofure, and then took his pipe from

his mouth, and made an anfwer^ which I
got our interpreter, with fome difficulty, to
explain. It was to this eflPeft: — That \^e
ought to confole ourfelves for the accident
of our not underflianding each other ; for as
we had no connection, or dealitigs in trade
together, our converfing could not poffibly

Y 2 anfwet

32+ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

anfwer any ufeful purpofe, Harvey made
a low bow to this compliment) faying, that
the juftnefs and good fei^fe of that remark
had certainly efcaped my obfervation^ as he
acknowledged it had hitherto done his*

A man that travels, you fee^ my friend^
and takes care to get into good company,
is always learning fomething. — ^Had I not
vifited the Three Kings at Bafil, I. might
have converfed all my lifetime without
knowing the true ufe of language*

I^ANKEfeS IN FRANCE, &c. 325

LETTER XXXVIIL

Bafil.

^T^HERE has been an interval of three
days fince I had the converfation with
my ingenious acquaintance from Amfter-*
dam. We are aflured that the chaifey
which has been accommodated with a new
axle-tree, will be ready this afternoon. In
the interim, I fhall write you a few re-
marks on this town.

Bafil is larger than any town in Swit-
zerland, but not fo populous for its fize as
Geneva. The inhabitants feem to be un-
commonly afraid of thieves, moft of the
windows being guarded by iron bars or
grates, like thofe of convents or prifons*

y 3 I obferved

I obferved at the lower end of many
windows a kind of wooden box^ proje£l:-
ing towards th6 ftreet, with a rqund glafs^
of about half a foot diameter, in the mid*
die. I was tqld th^s ^yas fqr the yonve-
niency of people within; who, without
being feen, choofe to fit at the windows^
and amufe themfelves by looking at the
paffengers ; — ^that they were moftly occu-
pied by the ladies, who are taught to
think it indecent to appear at the win^
dows.

The inhabitants of Bafit feem to be of
a referved and faturnine difpofiition; whe-
ther it is natural or aflFeded I' cannot tell,
but the few I converfed with, had fome-
thing uncommonly ferious and formal in
their manner. How an unremitting gra-
vity and folemnity of manner, in the com-
mon affairs of life, comes to be confidered
as an indication of wifdom, or of extraor-
dinary parts, is what I never could undcr-t
(l^pdt— So many ridiqulous things occur

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 327

every day in this world, that men, who
are endowed with that degree of fenfibility
which ufually accompanieB genius, find it
very difficult to maintain a continued gra<»
vity. This difficulty is abundantly fek
even in the grave and learned profeffions of
law, phyfiC) and divinity; and the indi^
yiduals who have been moft fuccefsful in
furmounting it, and who never deviate
from the folemnity of eftabliffied forms,
have not been always the moil diftiDguiihed
for real knowledge or genius; though they
generally are mod: admired by the multi*
tude^ who are very apt to miftake that
gravity for wiiaom, which proceeds froiu
a literal weight of brain, and muddinefs
of underflanding. Miftakes of the fame
kind are frequently made in forming a
judgment of books as well as men. Thofe
which profefs a formal defign to inftruA
and reform, and carry on the work me-
thodically till the reader is lulled into re<-
yofe, have paffed for deep and ufeful per-

Y 4 formwceii

328 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANP

formances ; vrhilc others,, r^pl^te witH
origins^l obfervation 2^nd real iQAxil<%on»
have been treated as frivolausj^ bccaufe they
are writtea in a familiar ftyle, and the
prepept8 conveyed in a fprightly aod indi-
rect manner.

Works which are compofed with the
laborious delire of being thought profound,
have fo very often the misfortune to be
dully that fome people have confidered the
two terms as fynonimous; and the men
who. receive it as a rule, that one fet of
books are. profound becaufe they are dullj^
may. naturally jconclude that others are
fuperf^cial hecaufe they are entertaining.
With refpe£|; to books, however, matters!
are foon fet to rights; thofe of puffed and'
falfe pretenfions die negleded, while thofe
of real merit live and flouriftv. But with
regard to the men, the cataftrophe is ofteii
different; we daily fee formal: alTuming
blockheads flourifli and enjoy the fruity of
tlieir pompous impofitions, while- many

IdANNERS IN FIIANC?, &c. |&^

taexi of talents who difdsia fiicb art9} live
io obfcurity, and^ die negleded.-— ^'— J afle
you pardon, I have juft recollefted that X
was giving you feme account of BafiK

The library here is much efteemed.--^
It is reckoned particularly rich in manu->
fcripts. They fhowed us one of a Greek
New Teftament, with which you may be-
Jieve Harvey and I were greatly edified^
We are told it is above a thoufand years
old.

At the arfenal is fhown the armour ia
which Charles Duke of Burgundy was
killed^ That unfortunate prince has orna-
in^nted all the arfenals ia Switzerland with.
trophies.

We vifited the hall where the famous
Council fat fo many years, and voted fo
intrepidly againft the Pope* Not fatisfied
wijh condemning his conduct, they ac-
tually dsjmned him in effigy. A famous-
painting, in the town-houfci is fuppofed.

^30 VIEW OF SOCJETY AKD

to have been executed under their aufpice^.
In this piece the Devil is reprefented
driving the Pope and feveral ecclefiadics
before him to hell.— Why they ftiould
fuppofe the Devil flioiild be fo very adive
againft his Hplinefs^ I know no re^fon.

^ere are many pi£tures of Hans Hoi-
ben's (who was a native of Bafil» and the
favourite painter qf H?nry VIII. to whom
Ixc was lirfl: recommended by jgrafmus);
particularly! feveral portraits of Erafn^us,
and one Iketch of Sir Thomas More-s fa-
mily. Though portraits are in general the
moft infipid of all kinds of paintings, yet
thofe of fuch celebrated perfons, doiie by
fuch a painter, are certainly very interefl;-*
ing pieces.

The moft admired of all Holben*s
works, is a fuit of fmall pieces in differ-*
cnt compartments, reprefenting the paflion
and fuflPerings of our Saviour. In thefe
the colours remain with wonderful viva*?
city,

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 331

We were alfo conducted to the difmal
gallery, upon whofe walls, w^iat \s called
Holben*s Death's Dance, is reprefentcd*
The colours having been long expof^ to
the air, are now quite faded, which I qaa.
fcarce think is much to be regretted, for
the plan of the piece is fo wretched, that
the fineft execution could hardly prevent it
from giving difguft^

A fkeleton, which reprefents Death,
leads off, in a dancing attitude, people of
both fexes, of all ages, and of every con-?
dition, from the emperor to the beggar.
All of them difplay the greateil unwilling-
nefs to accompany their hideous partner,
who, regaVdlefs of tears, e^poftulatioosy
aQd bribes, draws them along.

You will take notice, that there is a
Death for each character, which occafions
a naufeous repetition of the fame figure ;
and the reluctance marked by the different
jDdople who are forced to thi8 hated minuet,

332 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

is in fome accompanied with grimaces (o
very ridiculous, that obe cannot refrain
from fmiling ; which furely is not the ef-
fe<a the painter intended to produce.-r-If
he did, of all the contrivancefi that ever
were thought of to put people in good^hq-
mour, his muft be allowed the mofi: ^xtra^
ordinary t

To this piece, fuch aa it is, Prior alludes
in his ode tQ- the memory of Colonel ViU
lersi .

Nor awM by forefight, nor mifled by chance,
Imperious Death direfts his ebon lance,
I^oples great Henry's tomb, and leads up
Holben's dance.

In this city all the clocks are an hour
advanced. Whep it is but one o^clock in
all the towns and villages around, it is
exadly two at Bafil. This Angularity is
of' three or four hundred years flanding]^
and what is as firigular as the cuftom itfelf*
the origin of it^ is not known. This is

plain,

MANNERS IN FRANCE, kc. 333

plain, by their giving quite different ac-
counts of it.

The moft popular (lory is, that, about
four hundred years agb, the city wajs
threatened with an aflault by furprife*
The enemy was to begin the attack whea
the large clock of the tower at one end
of the bridge fhould ftrike one after mid-
night. The artift who had. the care of the
clock, being informed that this was the ex-
peded fignal, caufed the clock to be altered,
and it ftrUck two inftead of one; fo the
enemy thinking they were an hour too late,
gave up the attempt 5 and in commemora-
tion of this deliverance, all the clocks in
Bafil have ever fince ftruck two at one
o'clock, and fo on.

In cafe this account of the matter (hould
not be fatisfadory, they fhow, by way of
confirmation9 a head, which is placed near
to this patriotic clock, with the face
turned to the road by which the enemy was
7 to

S34 VIEW Oi? SOCIETY AND

to have entered^ This fame head lolls oUt
its tongue every minute, in the moft infult-
ing manner poffible* This was originally
a piece of mechanical \^it df the famous
clockmaker's who faved the town. He
framed it in derifioh of the enemy, whoni
he had fo dekteroufly deceived. It has
. been repaired^ renewed^ and enabled to
thruft out its tohgtlc every minute, for
thefe four hundred years, by the care of the
magiftrates, who think fo excellent a joktf
cannot be too often repeated.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, fcc. I3J

LETTER XXXIX.

Strafbourg,

^lTOTHING can form a fiber contraft
with the mountains of Switzerland^
than the plains of Alface. From Baiil to
Strafbourg> is a continuedi Well cultivated
plain) as flat almoft as a bowling-green*
We faw great quantities of tobacco hang^
ing at the peafants doors, as we came along;
this herb being plentifully cultivated in
thefe fields.

We have pafled fome days vrey agreeably
in this town. One can fcarcely be at a Jofs
for good company and amufement, in a
place where there is a numerous French
garrifon* Marechal Gontades refides here
at prefent> as commander of the troops^
and governor of the province. He lives

< in

^3l VIEW Of SOCtJEtY AKO

in a magnificeat manner. The Englifh whd
happen to pafs this way, as well as th6
officers of the garrifon, have great reafon
to praife. his hofpitality and politenefs.

After dining at his houfe with feveral
Englifli gentlemen, he invited the com-*
pany to his box^ at the playhoufe. Vol-
taire's Enfant Prodigue was a€ted ; and for
the Petite Piece^ le Francois k Lohdres,
Our nation is a little bantered, as you
know, in the laft. The eye^^ of the f^cc-«
tators were frequently turned towards flia
Marechal's box, to obferve how #e bore
the raillery. We clapped heartily, and
(hewed the moft perfect good^^humour*
There was indeed no reafon to do other-^
wife. The fatire is genteel, and not too
feverej and reparation is itiadc for thi li-*
berties taken ^ for in the fame pieces all
manner of juftice is done to the real good
qualities belonging to the £ngli£h national
charaAer.

Aist oldi I'reodi officer^ who was in the
next box to us, fe^med unea^^, and hurt-
atr the p^alsr of laughter vrhkh buc(i: frpm
the aodknce at fome particular paflag^s ^
he touch^ my ihoulder, and aOfured me
that no nation was mote refpedoi in France
than the:£ngji(h;-^addliig,/ Hanc veniani.
cjamus^ petin[iurque viciilim).'

It wseriC to; be wkhed that Frcnck cha-»
ndcrsi* wiieu' brought on the Englifli ftage»
had beta alwaya^ treated with: as little, fe**
Tenty^ and witb equal juftice^ and not fo
o&ea fkcrificod to the illiberal^ and abfucd
prgudices of the vulgar.

I have feen the greater number ef the re-*
giments perform their eacercife feparatelyt
and there hasr been one general field-da]f
fmoel came hither* The French troops are
infinitely better clothedi and in all refpe£ls
better appointed thaa they were during the
laft wan For this reformation, I am told
they are obliged to the Due de Choifeul*

Vol. I. Z who.

J38 . VIEW or SOCIETY AND

whQ) though now in difgracet ftill retains
many friends in the army.

There are, befides the French, two Ger-
man regiments in this garrifon. Thefe ad-
mit of the difciplihe of the cane upon every
flight occafion, which is never permitted
among the French troops. Notwithftand-
ing their being fo plentifully provided with'
thofe (evere flappers to roufe their attention,
I could not perceive that the German regi-4
ments went: through tbeir exerctie with
more precifipn or alertnefs than theFrendb;
and any difference would, in my opinion^
be dearly purchafed at the price of treating
one foldier like a fpaniel.

Perhaps what improvies the hardy and
phlegmatic German, would have a contrary
iefFe£l:on the more delicate and lively French^
man ; a& the fame feverity which is requifite
to train a painter, would render a greyhound
good for^nonihing*

.: . After

MANNERS IN FRANC E^ &c. 339

After all, I queftidii very much, whether
this fhocking cUftoia; U abfolutely neceilary
in the armies of any nation; for, let oui;
martinets fay what they pleafe, there is
furely fome difference between men and
dogs.

With refpe<a to the French, I am con-
vinced that great feverity would break their
fpirit, and impair that fire and impetuofit^
in attack, for which they have been dif-*
tinguifhed, and which makes French troops
more formidable than any other quality
they poffefsj

I muft own I was highly pleafed with the
eafy, familiar air, and appearance of goqd
will, with which the French officers in ge-
neral fpeak to the common foldiers,-— This,
I am told, does not diminifh the refpe(3: and
obedience which foldiers owe to their fupe-
riors, or that degree of fubordination which
military difcipline exacts. On the con-
trary, it is aflerted, that to thefe properties,

Z 2 which

ik-sfc..

340 VIEW OF SOCIETV AVtO

which the French poflefs in common witfi
other foldiers, they join a kind of grateful
attachment and affedipn«

In fome fervices^ the behaviour of the
oflSlcers to the private foldiers is fa morofe^
feverct and unrelenting! that a man might
be led to belieye that. one of their; prllicipal
enjoyments was to render, the lives of the
common men as miferableas poffible.. ^

If a certain degree of gentlenefs does no
harm in the great articles of obedience and
fubordlnation, it is fnrely worth while to
pay fome attention to the feelings of fo large
a proportion of mankind^ as.are by niodera
policy neceflitated to follow a military life»
To put /Mr hapiHoefs entirely out of the
quefiiooy in the goverpQient of tbe armies
of which they form infinitely themajor parr,
is rather hard tresctment of creatures who
are of the fame fpeciest employed in the
fame caufciand expofed to the Ame df^ogers
with their officer?*

When

M'ANNEtts -m PRANCE, &c. 341

When I began this, I intended to have
told you a few things about Stralbourg, in-
ilead of which I have been led out of my
way by French and German foldiers. — Di^
greifing is a trick to which I am very fub*
je&t and rather than not be indulged in it,
I would throw away my pen altogether.

The Duke of Hamilton arrived here ex*
^Ct\j at the time he propofed%

34? VIEW OF SOCIETY ANP

LETTER XL.

Strafboarg«

HP H E cathedral of Strafbourg is a very
fine building, and never fails to at«
trad the attention of ftrangers.

Our Gothic anceftors, like the Greeks and
Romans, built for pofterity. Their ideas in
architedure, though different from thofe of
the Grecian artifts, were vaft, fublime, and
generous, far fuperior to the felfifli fnugnefs
of modern tafte, which is generally. con-
fined to one or two generations ; the plans
of our anceftors with a more extenfive bene-
volence embrace diftant ages. Many Go-
thic buildings ftill habitable evince this,
and ought to infpire fentiments of gratitude
to thofe who have not grudged fuch labour
and expence for the accommodation of their
remote pofterity.

« ' The

■MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 343

- The number and magnitude of Gothic
churches, in the different countries of Eu-
xope, form a prefumption, that the clergy
-were not devoid of public fpirit in thofe
days } for if the powerful ecclefiaflics had
then been entirely aduated by motives of
Jdfrintereft, they would have turned the
exceflive influence which they had acquired
over the minds of their fellow-citizer^s, to
purpofesmore immediately advantageous to
.themfelves; inftead of encouraging them to
raife magnificent churches for the ufe of the
public, they might have preached it up as
ftill more meritorious to build fine houfes
.and palaces for the immediate fervants and
ambaflfadors of God. — But we find very few
ccclefiaflical palaces, in comparifon with
the number of churches which ftill remain
for the public conveniency. This fufficiently
fhows the injuftice of thofe indifcriminating
fatirifts, who affert that the clergy, in all
ages and countries, have difplayed a fpirit
equally proud and interefted.

• Z 4 No

344 VIEW OF SOCIETY AKO

No fpecies of architcfttire i$ better con-
trived for the dwelKng of heavenly penjk^
contemplation 9 than the Gothic ; it has «
powerful tendency to fill the mind with fub-
lime» folemn, and religious featiraaatsi
the antiquity of the Gothic churches ton**
tributes to increajfe that veneration which
their form and fi^e infpirc. We naturally
fc-el a refpeft for a fabric into which we
know that our forefathers have entered with
reverence, and which has ilood the zC^
faults of many centuries, and of a thoufand
ftorms. That religious melancholy which
nfually poflefles the mind in large Gothic
churches, is however confiderably coun<«
teraAed by certain fatirical has reliefSf with
which the pillars and cornices of this chnrcl)
of Strasbourg was originally ornamented.—^
The vices of monks are here expofed under
the allegorical figure of hogs, afles, n^onkies^

and fo:^es, which being drefTed in monkiih

»
habits, perform the moft venerable fun^ions

of religion* And for the edification of thof^

<5 who

MANNjrRS IN FRANCE, «cc, 345

who do not comprehend allegory, a roonk^
4n th0( robe^ of bis order, ^engraved 00
the jpulpit in a moft indeasit .poilure» M^itb
9. nun lying by him*

Upon the whole, the cathedral of Strafe
{)ourg 18 confidered by fome people as the
4noft impious, and by others as the merriefl:
GotfaiQ ohvircb in Chriftendom. ' I leave
yon to fdlvf the problem as you pleafe.-^

As fbf mc, I am ft very unconcerned paf^
lenger.

I iay nothinjg; of the: great clock and its
various movements. Though it was an
obje£t of admiration when firft CQailru£ted«
it is beheld with indifference by modern

I had the curiofity to afcend the fteeple
of this cathedral, which is reckoned one of
the htgheft in Europe, its height being 574
feet. You may cafily form an idea of the
view from it, when I tel! you it compre-
hends the town of Strafbourg, the extenfiye

plains of Alface, with the Rhine flowing

through

346 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

through them. Such views are act uncom-^
mon : They are always agreeable, but da
not aftonilh and elevate the mind, like the
wild, irregular, and fublime fcenes in
Switzerland.

One forenoon as I wasfauntering through
the flreets with fome of our countrymen*
we were informed that the mufic of fome of
the regiments had been ordered to a par-
ticular church, where the Count de— — ,
fon of Lewis the XVth by Madame de
Pompadour* was expeded to be at mafs.— -
We all immediately went for the fake of the
. military mufic, and found a very numerous
and genteel company attending. After
having waited a confiderable time, it firuck
twelve, upon which the whole company
retired, without hearing the mufic or mafs.
— After mid-day the ceremony could not
have been performed, although the Count
bad come. Something very important muft
have intervened to prevent a Frenchman^
»nd one of his chara£ter for politenefs* from

attending

MANNERS IN FRANCE, Sec. 34/

jRttending on fuch an occafion* There was
however a murmur of difapprobation for
this want of attention, and the prieft was
not applauded, who had hazarded the fouls
of a whole churchfqlof people, out of com-
plaifance to one man ; for thofe who ima-
gine that a mafs can fave fouls, mud admit
that the want of it may be the caufe of
damnation. Mr. Harvey whUpered me,
^[ In England they would not have had
" Half the complaifance for tbe king him-
*' felf, accompanied by all his legitimate
•* children, that thefe people have ihewu
** to this fon of a w— e.'*

To indemnify myfelf for this difappoint*
.. xnent, I went the fame afternoon with a
French officer to hear a celebrated preacher*
The fubjedl of his difcourfe was the mife-*
rable fituation of men who are under thtf
dominion of their paffions. — Do you wifh
for a fample of his difcourfe ?r— Here it is;

r '* A flave in the galleys (cfied the

<^ preacher) U 4^^ppier, and more free, than

** a man

\348 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

^* a man under the tyranny ofTiis pallions {

•• for though the body of the flave is in
^* chains, his mind may be free.— Whereas
** the wretch who is under the government
♦* of his paflions, has his mind, his Tery
♦' foul, in chainSt'^-^Is his paffion luft ?••«
*^ He will facrifice a faithful ferVant to gra*
^ tify it;— Pavid did fo.'^Is it avarice ?—
^^ tie will betray his mafter j— Judas did fo.
♦• — Is be attached to a miftrcfs ? — he will
^ murder a faint to pleafe her ^^-^^Herod

♦« did fo;»

As we returned from the church, the
French officer) who had been for fbme time
in a reverie, faid, Ma foi, cet bomme parle
avec beancoup d'ondion ; je vais profiter
de fon fermon.-^Ou eft ce cjue vous allcz ?
faid I. — ^Je m^en vais chez Nanette, replied
he, pour me debar rafler de ma paffion do^
minante.

Among the curiofities of the cathedral, I
ought to have mentioned two large bells,
which they fhow to ftrangeriB. One is of

bra&t

MAKNaEHS.tN FRANCE, *c,

htdisy and weighs tesi toas;. the. other of
lllvePs which' they fay weighi^ abave twa«.^
They aifo fhow a large Fredch horn, whofs
hiftory is as follows : — About four hundred
years ago^ the Jews formed a confpiracy to
betray the city, and with this identical
horn, they intended to give the enemy no-
tice when to begin the attack.

* •

Is it not amazing that fuch a number of
flrange dories have been circulated concern-
ing thefe fame Jews ?

The plot, however, was difcovered; many
of the Jews were burnt alive, the reft were
plundered of their money and efFedls, and
bani(hed the town. And this horn is
founded twice every night from the battle-
9ients of the fteeple, in gratitude for the
deliverance.

The Jews, as you would expert, deny
every circumftance of this ftory, except the
murdering and pillaging their countrymen.
They fay the whole ftory was fabricated to

furnifli

ISO VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

furni(h a pretext for thefe robberies and
murders, and aflert that the fteeplie of Straf-^
bourg, as has been faid of the monument
of London,

^< Like a tall bully lifts the head and lies^.^'

^AKHERS.IN FRANCE, &c. 351

4 . .

L E T T E R XLI.

Manheiixf*

A IX tilt? advantages I might propofe from

the Duke of Hamilton'^ company^did

not prevent my regret at parting from my

friend Harvey, who fet out for Lyons the

fame morning on which we left Strafbourg.

Upon croffing the Rhine we entered intd
the territories of the Margrave of Baden
Durlach, which lie along the banks of that
river immediately oppofite to Alface.

At Raftade we were informed that the
Margrave and his family wqre at Karlfcruch^
Raftade is the capital of this prince's domi-
nions.-— The town is but fmall, and not very
populous :— The Margrave's palace, how-
ever, is fuffioiently large. — We made only a

fliort

SSI VIEW GP SOClET^y ANO

ihort ftay to examine it| being impatient
to get on to Katlfcruch*

There is another very magnificent palace
at Karlfcruch^ built in goodvtafili. It was
begun many years ago, and has been lately
finiflied by the reigning prince.

The town of Karlfcruch is built ona:regu«
lar plan. It confifts of oqe principal flreet
of above an Englifh mile in length. This
fireet is at a confiderable diftance in front
of the palace^^and in a parallel direction with
it. All the other fireets go off at different
angles from the principal one^ in fuch a maa«
ner as that whichfoever of them you enter^
walking from it, the view is terminated by
the front of the palace. The length of
thefe fmaller ftreets is afcertained, none
of them being allowed to encroach on the
fpaclous area, which is kept clear before the

palace.

. The principal iireet may be extended to
length} and as many additional ftreets

MANNERS IN FJlAlsrCE, &c. ^53

as they pleafe may be built from it, all of
which, according to this plan, wHl have the
palace for a termination.

The houfesof this town are all as uniform
as the ftreets, being of an equal fize and
height ; fo that one would be led to ima-
gine that none of the inhabitants are in any
confidefable degree richer or poorer than
their neighbours. There are indeed a few
new houfes, more elegant than the others,
belonging tofome of the officers of the court,
built at one fide of the palace ; but they
are not, properly fpeaking, in the town.

Having announced in the ufual form,
that we wiflied to have the honour of pay-
ing our court to the Margrave, an officer
waited on the Duke of Hamilton, and con-
dufled us to the palace.

There were at dinner the reigning Prince

and Princefs ; — three of their fons, the eldeft

of whom is niarried to a Princefs of Hefle

Darmftadt— She, with one of her fiftcrs,

:. Vol. I. A a was

. I

554 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

was prefeiit, alfq the Princefs Dowager
of Bareith) daughter to the Duke of Brimf<-
wick ; two general officers in the imperial
iervice^ and other ladies a^nd gentlemen ;
making in all a company o^f above thirty
at table.

The entertainment was fplendyd. — Th^
Margrave behaved with the politeft atter>-
tioQ to the Duke of Hamilton^ and w^t^ dtf^
fability to every body.

The Princefs of Bareith is of a gay>
Kvely, agreeable charader. After dinner
the Duke took a view of the different apart-
ments of the palace, and afterwards walked
with the Margrave in the gardens till the
evening.

The fame company were at fupper j a
t)and of mufic played during the repaft, and
the day went off in a more eafy, agreeable
manner than I could have expeded, con-
ftdering the number of Princes and Pria-
tclTeftr

Tfce

Manners iti FRANc£i &c. 355

The Margrave of Baden Durlach is be-
tween forty and fifty years of age. He is a
man of learning, good fenfe, and benevolent
difpofition. I had heard much, long be-
fore I faw him, of his humanity and atten-
tion to the vsrell-being of his fubjedls. This
made me view him with a cordial regard,
which his rank alone could not have com-
manded.

■ He fpeaks theEnglifti language with con-
fiderable facility, and is well acquainted with
our beft authors. Solicitous that his foa
fhould enjoy the fame advantages, he has
engaged Mr. Cramer, a young gentleman
from Scotland, of an excellent charadler,
who has been for feveral years at this court,
as tutor and companion to the young Prince.

The German Princes are minute obfer-
ven of form. The fame eftabliftiment for
their houfehold, the fam€ officers in the
palace, are to be found here, as in the
court of the moft powerful monarch in Eu-
rope.— The difference lies more in the fa-

A a a laries

4S6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AT^D

larics than in the talents rcquifitc for thefe
places ; oi>e Paymafter for the forces has
greater emoluments in England, than a
Grand Marechal, a Grand Chamberlain^
two Secretaries of State, and half a dozen
more of the chief officers of a German
court, all taken together.

The Margrave of Baden has body gnanJs
who do duty in the palace, foot guards who
parade before it ; alfo horfe guards and huf-
fars^all of whom are perfedly well equipped,
apd exaftly difciplined ; — a piece of mag-
nificence which fcems to be adopted by
this prince, merely in. conformity with the
cuftom long eftablifhed in this country.

He keeps on foot no other troops befides
the few which are necelTary for this duty
at the palace, though his revenue is more
confiderable, and his finances are in much
bjetter order than fome Prinqes in Germany
who have little ftanding armies in conflant
pay. He has too juft an underftanding not
tp perceive that the greateft army he could

^ poflibly

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c, 357

poiUbly maiatam, could be no defence to his
dominions, fituated as they are between the
powerful ftates of France and Auftria 9 and
probably his principles and. difpofition pre-
vent him from thinking of filling his cof-
fers by hiring his fubjeds to foreign powers*

If he were fo inclined, there is no man-
ner of doubt that he might fell the perfons
of his fubjeds as foldiers, or employ them
in any other way he fhould think proper ;
for he, as'well as the other fovereign Prin-
ces in Germany, has an unlimited power
over his people. If you alk t^e queftion^
in direft terms of a German, he will anfwer
in the negative; and will talk of certaia
rights which the fubjeds enjoy j and that
they can appeal to the great council or
general diet of the empire for relief. But
after all bis ingenuity and difliodions^ you
find that the barriers which proted: the pea^
faat from the power of the prince, are fo
very weak, that they are hardly worth
keeping up, and that'the only fecurity th^

A a 3 peafant

5s8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

peafant has for his perfon or property, muft
proceed from the moderation, good fenfei
and juftice of his fovereign.

Happy would it be for mankind if this
unlimited power were always placed in as
equitable hands as thofe of the Margrave
of Baden, who employs it entirely for the
good of his fubje(9ts, by whom he is adored f

This Prince endeavours, by every means
he can devife, t6 introduce induftry and ma-
nufaftures among his people. — There is a
confiderable number of Engliffi tradefment
here, who' make Birmingham work, and.
inftruif^ the inhabitants in that bufmefs.
He has alfo engaged many watch-makers
from Qeneva to fettle here, by granting
themencour?igements and privileges of every
kind, and allows no opportunity to flip ua-
improved, by which he can promote the
comfort and happinefs of his people; A
prince of fuch a character is certainly si
public bleffing, and the people are fortu-
pate who are bprn undcj: hia government?

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 359

B«t far more fortunate they who are born
under a government which can protedi
them, independent of the virtues, and ia
fpite of the vices, of their fovereign.

When we left Karlfcruch, the Margrave
gave orders that we might be allowed to
pafs by a road lately finifhed, through a
noble foreft, feveral leagues ia leftgth*
After having traverfed this, we fell in with
the conjmon polling road* entered the bifliop
of Spires^s territories, pafled by the town of
that name, proceeded to the Eledorate of
Palatinei and arrived the fame night a£
Manheim.

All the countries I have mentioned form
one rich fertile plain ; there are few or no
gent!emen*8 houfes to vary the fcene ; no-
thing but the palace of the prince and the
cottages of the peafants, the gentry living
in dependance at court, and the merchant*
and manufadurcrs in the towns.

A a 4.

36e VJEW OF SOCIETY AND'

I. E T T E R XLII.

Manheim.

'T^HIS is generally reckoned one of the
moft beautiful cities in Germany*
The ftreets are all as ftraight as arrows,
being what they call tirecs au cordeau, and
interfedl each other at right angles. This

never fails to pleafe at firft, but becomes
fooner tirefome than a town built with lefs
regularity. When a man has walked
through the town fpr half a forenoon, bis
eyes fearch in vaiii for variety ; the fame
pbjedls feem to move along with him, as if
be had beeii all the while a fiiip^board.

They calculate the number of inhabit^r
ants at 24,000, including the garrifon^ which
confifts of 5000 men. This town has three

poblc gates, adornpd with baflb relievos very

tjegtutifully

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 361

beautifully executed. The Duke and I
walked round the ramparts with eafe in the
fpace of an hour. The fortifications are
well contrived and ia good order, and the
town acquires great additional ftrength from
being almoft entirely furrounded by the
Neckar and the Rhine, and fituated in a flat^
not commanded by any rifing ground. Yet
perhaps it would be better that this city
were quite open, and without any fortifica-
tion. An attempt to defend it might prove
the deftrudion of the citizens* houfes, and
the eleifioral palace. A palace is injudi-
cioufly fituated when built within a forti-
fied town, becaufe a threat from the enemy
to bombard it, might induce the garrifoa
tp furreader,

The Eledor^l pqilace is a moft magnificent
ilru£ture, fituated at the jundion of the
Rhine and the Neck ar. — ^The cabinet of na-
tural cqriofities, and the colledion of picr-
fibres, are much vented. To examine them

was

36« VIEW OF SOCIETY AN&'

was amufing enough : — ^To defcribe them
would, I fear, be a little tedious.

The Ele(Jior himfelf is a man of taftc
and magnificence, circumftancee in his cha-
rafter, which probably afford more pleafure
to himfelf, and the ftrangers who pafs thift
way, than to his own fubjeds.

I accompanied the Duke to one of the offi^
cers of the court, whofe bufmefs it is to
prefent ftrangers. This gentleman is re-
markable for his amazing knowledge in all
the myfteries of etiquette. He entertained
his Grace with niuch erudition on this fub-
Je6l;.-^I never obferved the Duke yawn fo
very much. — ^Whea our vifit.was over, he
atfferted that it had lafted two hours. — Uppa
examining his watch, he difcovered that he
had made a miftake of one hour and forty
minutes only.

We were prefented the following day tq
the Eleftof and the Elefkrefs* He was
dreiTed in the uniform of his guards, feems

S to

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 365

to be on the borders of fifty, and has a fen-*
fible manly countenance, which I am told
is the true index of his charader.

The Hereditary Prince b a youi^ men of
knowledge and good fenfe^ He furprifed
jne by talking of the party difputes and ad-«
ventures which have happened of late years?
in England, of which I found him minutely
informed. — —Many people in Germany
have the Engliflx news- papers and political
pamphlets regularly tranfmitted to them*
The acrimony and freedom with which the
liigheft charaders are treate^d, aftonifh and
^mufe them, and from thefe they often form,
very falfe and e:$traordinary concluQons witb
regard to the Aate of the nation*

As the Eledor intends foon to vifit Italy,
great numbers of ojBBcers have come hither
to pay their duty to their fovereign before
te depart for that country. He is much
eileemed by bis officers, with whom he
lives in a very affable manner. There are
geapjralljr thirty «over§ every day at his table

364 VIEW OF SOCLETY AND

for them, and the (Irangers who happen to
be at the court of Manheim.

One day at dinner, a kind of buffoon came
into the room. He walked round the table
and converfed in a familiar manner with
every body prefent, the princes not ex-
cepted. His obfervations were followed by
loud burfts of applaufe from all whom he
addreflfed. As he fpoke in German, I coul4
not judge of his wit, butftared around with
the anxiety of countenance natural to a man
who fees a whole company ready to die
with laughter at a jeft which he cannot

comprehend. An old officer, who fat near
me, was touched with compaflion for my

(ituation^ and explained in French fome
of the moft brilUaijit repartees for my pri-
Tate ufe.

As this good-natured officer did not feem
to have a great command of the French Ian*
guage, the whole fpirit of the jeft was aK
lowed to evaporate during the tranflation :—
At leaft I could not fmell a particle whea

the

MANNERS IN FRANCE, See. 365

the procefs was over. However, as thefe
tranflations evidently coft him a good deal
of trouble, I thought myfelf obliged to
feera delighted with his performance ; fo I
joined in the mirth of the company, and
endeavoured to laugh as much as any per-
fon at the table.

My interpreter afterwards informed me
that this genius was from the Tyrol, that
he fpoke the German with fo peculiar an
accent, that whatever he faid never failed to
fct the whole table in a roar ; c^eft pourquoi,
added he, il eft en pofleffion d'entrer tou-
jours avec le deffert. '

. This is the only example that I know
remaining of a court fool or Hcenfcd jefter ;
an office formerly in all the courts of
Europe.

$66 VIEW Of SOdtE'Ty AlfD

LETTER XLIir.

Manheioi*

"1X7 E made a ihort jaunt to Heidelberg a
few days fince. That town is about
four leagues from Manheim.

Heidelberg Is fituated in a hollow on the
banks of the Neckar, and is furrounded by
charming hills perfedly cultivated.

, More cheerful fi:eaes of exuberant ferti-
lity are to be feen no where than along the
fine chain of hills which begin near this
town. The fummits of thefe hills are
crowned with trees, and their fides and
bottoms are clothed with vines.

The Eledlor's caftle is placed on an emi-
nencei which commands the town, and a
view of the valley below ; but the caftle it-

felf

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 367

felf unfortunately is commanded by another
eminence too near it, from which this noble
building was cannonaded when the whole
Palatinate was pillaged and burnt, in confe-
quence of that cruel order of Lewis XIV.
too literally executed by Turenne.

The particulars of that difmal fcene have
been tranfmitted from father to fon, and are
ftill fpoken of with horror by the peafantry
of this country, among whom the French
nation is held in deteftation to this day.

While We were in the caftle we did not
omit vifiting the renowned Heidelberg tun;
but as it was perfeflly empty, it made but
a dull and uninterefting appearance.

The inhabitants of the Palatinate are
partly Proteftants,and partly Roman Catho-
lics, who live here in harmony with each
other. The great church at Heidelberg is
divided into two apartments, in one of
which the Proteftanta, aad in the other, th^
J^apifts, perform public worfhip:— A Angu-
lar

, I

S68 VIEW OF S0CII!TY AND

lar proof of the moderation and coolnefs of
people's minds with regard to a fubje<9: that
inflamed them fo violently in the days of
their anceftors.

f We remained only one day at Heidelberg,
and returned in the evening to this place.
The lives and manners of the inhabitants of
this city feem to be as uniform and formal
as the (Ireets and buildings. No noife,
mobs or buftle ; at mid-day every thing is
as calm and quiet as the ftreets of London
at mid-night. This gives one the notion
' that the citizens are under the fame reftraint
and difcipline w^ith the troops.

I have feen thefe laft perform their exer-
cife every morning on the parade. I was

a good deal furprifed to obferve, that not
only the movements of the foldiers mufkets,
and the attitudes of their bodies, but alfo
their devotions, were under the direction of
the major's cane. The following motions
are performed as part of the military ma-

noeuyxes

Manners in France, dc. 36^

iioeuvres every day before the troops are
marched to their different guards.

The major flourifhes his cane j-— the drum
gives a fingle tap, and every man underarms
raifes his haiid to his hat ;— at a fecond
Aroke on the drum, they take off their hata
and are fuppofed to pray ;— at a third, they
finifh thdr petitions, and put their hats on
their heads. — ^If any man has the aflurance
to prolong his prayer a niinut^ longer than
(lie drum indicates; he is punifhed on the
fpot, and taught to be lefs devout for the
future.

Theingenious inventor of drumscertainly

♦

never dreamt of their becoming the regula-
tors of people's piety.' — But the modern im*
provements in the military art are truly won-
derful ! — arid we heed not defpair, after
this, of feeing a whole tegiment, by the
progrefs of difcipline, fo modelled as to eat,
drink, and perform other animal fundions,
uniformly together, at the word of com-
ttiand^ as they poife their iirelocks.
Vot, h B b

VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

LETTER XLIV.

tJAVING left orckM at Gcnwra to for-
ward a^ll our letters of % certain ^tfi
to Manheioii acui tP dire£): tltiofe w|i]^h
ihould come afterwards^ to, Frankfort on
the Maiqe, I bad the good fcnrtune to i^

ceive yours laft night.

I feel as much indignation as yon poflibly
can, againfl; thofe who endeavour to hurt
the peace of families by xQalignant publica*
tions, and I enter fully into \Qj;d, — ^ — 'a pa
fo unmerited an attack. Yet I fhopld be
heartily forry to fee thefe evils remedied by
any reftridion oil the freedom of the prefe ;
becaufe 1 am every day more and more eoa-
vinced that its unreftrained produ€tipn8» the,
licentious news-papers thepxTelves not ex-

eepted» have conveyed to every corner of
Great Britain, along with much imper«
tincnce and fciirrility, fuch a regard for the
conftitutionj fuch a fenfe of the rights of
the fuhjdd, and fuch a degree of general
knowledge, as never were fo univerfally dif-
fufed oVi^r any other nation. Such a law ad
your friend propofes might, no doubt, pro-
tect individuals from unjufl; attacks in print !
but it would at the fame time remove one
great means of clearing their innocence, and
making known their wrongs, when injured
in a more eflential manner. It would limit
the right which every Briton has of publicly
addreffing his counttymen, when he finds
himfelf injured or oppreffed by the perver*
lion of law, ot the in(*olence of office.

Examples might be given of uien of great
integrity being attacked in the mpft Cruel
and ungenerous manner by people high in
office, and guatded by power. Such men
had no other means of tcdrefs than that of
appealing to the candour ajad good fenfe of

B b a the

:y]% VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

the public, which they ufed with fuccefs.
Every man's obfervation may fuggeft to him
many kinda of injuflice and opprefllon,
which the rich, the infidious, or the power-
fulj can commit in fpiteof law, or perhaps
by the aid of law, againft the poor, the un-
fufpe£ting, and the friendlefs,— Many:^ who
can filence Qonfcience and evade law, trem-
ble at the thoughts of their injuflice being
publiihed ; and nothing is, nothing can be,
a greater check to the wantonnefs of power^
than the privilege of unfolding private grie-
vances at the bar of the public. For thus the
<:aufe of individuals is made a public con-
cern, and the general indignation which
their wrongs excite, forms at once one of
the fevereft puniflxments which can be in-
flidled on the opprefToo and one of the
ilrongefl bulwarks that can be raifed in de-
fence of the unprotected.

By this means alfo the moft fpeedy and
efFedtual alarm is given all over the nation
when any great public mifcondud happenst

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 373

or upon any appearance of a defign againft
the conftitution ; and many evils are detect-
ed and prevented, which otherwife might
have been unobferved, till they had become
too ftrong for remedy* And though this
liberty produces much filly advice, and ma-
lignant cenfors without number, it like-
wife opens the door to fome of a different
charader, who give ufeful hints to minifters,
which would have been loft without the
freedom of anonymous publication.

The temporary and partial diforders,
which are the confeqiaences of public free-
dom> have been greatly exaggerated by fome
people, and reprefented as more than equi-
valent to all the advantages refulting from $i
free government. But if fuch perfons had
opportunities of obferving the nature of thofe
evils which fpring ijp in abfolute govern-
ments, they would foon be convinced of
their error,

The greateft evil that can arlfe from the
licentioufnefs which accompanies civil li-

B b 3 berty

37+ VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

hextj 18^ that people may rafhly tadce adxfliin)
to liberty herfelf, from the teafing impertl-
nence and abfordity of fome of her real or
affeded well-wifliers ; as a man might be^
come left foad of the company of his beft
frtead» if he found him always attended by
a fnappifh cur, vrhich without pro¥Ocatba
was always growling and barking.

But to prove the weaknefs of fuch con-^
du&f we have only to call to mind, that the
ilream of licentiouraefs perhaps never rofo
higher thaa it did foifie years finc^ in Eng-
land. — And what were the mighty evils
that followed t — Many refpeSable chiiracf
ters were grofsly mifreprefented itt printe4
publications. — Certain daring fcribblers
evaded the punifhment Aey def<?rved:— ^
Many windows werebrokeui and the chariot^
of a few members of parliament werebefpat-^

tered with dirt by the mob# ^Wbat are

thefe frivolous diforders when coihparcd

to the gloomy regularity produced by de-

f|)otirni ; in which m^ ar? obliged to the^

7 »oft

MANNERS IN FRANCE, 5c. 375

moft painful circumfpedion ia all their
adions; are afraid to fpeak their fenti-
ments on the moft common occurrences ;
fufpicious^of cherifliing government fpies in
their houfehold fervants; diftruftful of their
own relations and moft intimate companions,
and at all times expofed to the opprefiion of
men in po^er, and to the infcilence of their
favourites ?— No confulion, in my mind,
cati be more tertible than the ftern difci^
plin6d regularity and vaunted police of ar«
bitrary governments, where every heart is
depreflfed by fear, where mankind dare not
afiume their natural chara£ters, where the
free fpirit muft crouch to the flave in office,
tvhere genius muft reprefs her effiifions, or,
like the Egyptian worihippers, offer them
in facrifice to the calves of power; and
where the human lAind, always in fhackles,
drinks from every generous eflFort.

B b 4

376 VIPW OF SOCIETY AND

I, E T T E R XLV.

^^entx.

\\7^ left Manhelm five or fix days ago.
It is very eafy travelling through thia
part of Germany, the roads being perfe£kly
good, and the country a continued plaio^
From Bafil, to within a few miles of Mentz,
the polling road does nat make even the
mod gentle afcent ; a vafl: length qf coun-
try to be all along a perfect level. '

By the great numbers of Monks and
Friars, of all colours and conditions, that
are to be met near this city, we were ap-
prifed of our entrance into an ecclefiafiical
fiate, while the plump perfons and rofy
complexions of thefe Fathers fufficiently
proved, that they did not live in th^ fertile
l}a4 of {iheniih for noticing.

UowCY?!

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 377

However good ChriftiansLthey might be,
aiany of them had much the appearance of
paying occafional homage to the ancient
heathen deity Bacchus, without being re-»
firained in their worfhip like the foldiers
on the parade at Manheim. — One of them
in particular appeared to have jufl arifea
from his devotion*— He moved along in
the mod unconcerned mamier imaginable^
without obferving any diredt courfe, or re-
garding whether he went to the right hand
or to the left. He muttered to himfelf as
he went. — ^Does he repeat his pater nofler ?
faid I.— I rather imagine he prays front
Horace, replied the Duke,

——Quo me, Bacche, rapis tui
plenum? Qu« ncmora, aut cjuos agor in

fpecus
Yclox mente nova* ?— — »

♦ O Bacchus, when by thee pofleU,
What facred fpirit fills my raving breaft?
How am I rapt to dreary glades,
^p gloomv caverns^ unfre^aented (hades !

Francis*

378 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

On both fides of the Rhine ihe ground
Itere begins to become hilly and irregulari
forming banks finely expofed to the fnnt
Here the beft Rhenilh wine is produced, and
even a very fmall portion of thefe exuberant
banks is of confiderable value. A chain of
iNrell*-inhabited villages runs along from
Mentz, by Bacharaeht all the way to Co«
blentz, where the Rhine is joined by this
Mofelle.

Bdcfaarach is faid to derive its name ff 6tti
ttk attar of Baechus (Bacchi Ara) ft^ppbM
to have been ireded by the Rotnafi^ in
gratitude for the quantity and qualit}^ of
the wine produced in the neighboiiifhodd*
A little before we entered Mentz, we

% , '

pafied by the Favorita, a beautiful palace
belonging to the Eledor^ fituated where
the Rhine is joined by the Maine.

Mentz is finely fituated, built in an
irregular ftianner, and moft plentifully pro-
vided with churches* The cathedral is but
a gloomy fabric. In this there is what

they

IN FRANCE^ Sec. ^

Hbcf call a treafuryt which contains a
Bumfoer of elumfj jcweU^^ fcrnie relics, and

a might}r rich wardtobe of priefts veft-
xnents.

There are feme troops in this capital,
but I do not think the officers have that
fmart prefumptuous air which generally
accompanies men of their profeffion. Thejr
feem confcious that the clergy are their
mailers; and» I have a notion^ are a little
out of countenance oh that account.

The ftreets fwarm with ecclefiaftics,
fome of them in fine coaches, and attended
by a great number of fefvants. I remarked
alfo many genteel airy abbes; who, one
could eafily fee, were the moft fafhionable
people^ and give the ton at this place*

Though it is moft evident that in this
electorate the clergy have taken exceeding

good care of themfelves; yet, in juftice to

■

them, it mufl be acknowledged, that the
|>eople aljfo feem to be in an eafy fituation.

The

$9q view of society and

The peafantry appear to be in a ftate of far
greater abundance than thofe of France, or
even thofe in the Elector of Manheim's
dominions.

I have fome defire to fee an eccleiiaftical
courts and would willingly vifit this of
Mentz; but the Duke of Hamilton, who
fecms to have no exceffive fondnefs for any
court, fays, st court of clergymen muft be
more difmal and tedious than. any other»
and I fear will not be prevailed oq the appeaj
at this ; iq which cafe we fhall leave t,hi&
place to-morrow morning early, without
further ceremony*

MANNERS.. IN FRANCE, &c. .381

LETTER XLVI.

. Frankfort on the Maine. ~

• ■ . » . *

IJT^E^ have .been here two weets.-— To
form a proper judgment of the ge-
nius and; niariners of apy nation> it is rie-
ceflary to live familiarly with tKe inhabitants

- •

for a cohfiderable time ; but a fmaller degree
of obfervation will fuffice to give a pretty

juft idea of the nature of its government.

» • • ,

The chilling' ^eds of defpotic oppreffion,
or the benign influence of freedom and
commerce, ftrike the eye of the moft care-
lefs traveller. »

The ftreets of Frankfort are fpacious and

. . . •

well-paved; the houfes {lately, clean, and
conveniept; the (hops iwell furaiflied; the
drefs, the numbers^ the air, and general

xnannera

%H vitw or soci^rv anh

manners of the inhabitants! fufficiently
ihoWi without other information, that there
is no little defpot within their wallsy to
impoveriih them in fupport of his gran:^
deur, and to ptit every adHon of their livesi
every movement of their bodies, under re*
ftraiot by his caprice.

The houfes are of brick, but have a
better appearance than brick houfes in ge-
neral, owing chiefly to their being covered
with a kind of reddiib iluccp^ which 1%
come into ufe here of late, afu), it ia bet
lieved, will render the bi^il(|iRg^ inore
durable. The front? of maoy of tfeip fiqeft
are alfo adc^ned with b»s r^ief$ qf vWp
(Iqcco, in imii;atiQn of marble. Thefc
white oroamentSu on the red grounder forp[i
too flrong a contrail, and do not pleaCb «a
eye fond of (impliclty; But the Qern^aos,
in general, have a tafte foe (hpwy oroa**
ment, in their drefs, furniture, and houfes.
Frankfort is a free imperial city, having i

fmall

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 3^j

fmall territory beloaging to it, and is go-
verned by its own magiftracy.

Alt religions are tolerated here> under
certain reftridions; but Lutheraniftn is
the eQablifhed faith, as the magiftrates are
of that communion.

The principal church is in the pofTeilioa
of the Roman Catholics, but no public-
proceilion c^ the hoft is permitted through
the ftreets« All the ceremonies of their
religion are confined to the houfes of indi-
viduals, or performed within the walls of
this church. In it there is a chapel, to
which the emperor h conduded immedi-
ately after bis eledion, in order to be
crowned by the Eledor of Mentz.

The Jewa have a fynagogue in this city,
where they perform their religious rites ;
but the Calvinifts have never been allowed
any public houfe of worfhip within the ter-
ritory of Frankfort. They attend divine
fcrvice at a place called Bockenheim in the

county

384 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANIJ

county of Hanau, where they have built Sl
church •

This is but unkind treatment { and it
feems, at firft fight, a little extraordinaryi
that Martin Luther fliould fliow more in-
dulgence to his old enemy Lord Peter, and
even to Judas Ifcariot himfelfi than to his
fellow-reformer John Calvin*

Though Frankfort is thought a fine
town, and the effed produced by the whole
is magnificent, yet there are no buildings
in particular worthy of attention. . It is
expected, however, that all. ftrangers
fliould vifit the town-houfe, and fee the
chamber where the Emperor is ele£ted»
And it would be reckoned a great want of
curiofity, not to fee the famous golden bull
which is kept there with the utmoft care^
A fight of this cods a golden ducat j a fuf-
ficient price for a glance of an old manu-
fcript, which not one perfon in a hundred
can leadj and flill fewer can undcrftand*

A d|iua«

MANNERS IN FRANCE, Sec. 385

. A countryman of ours, who expeded
more amufement for his money, com--

plained loudly of this as an impofition j and
on hearing a .German talk of the high price
which every thing bore in England, he re-
torted on him in thefe words: — II ny a
rien en Angleterre fi cher que votre taureau
d'or a Frankfort.

. There is a cuftom bbferved here, which
I (hall mention on account of its fingularity,
though I enquired in vain for its origin.
Two women appear every day at noon on
the battlements of the principal fteeple,
and play fome very folemn airs with trum-
pets. This mufic is accompanied by vocal
pfalmody, performed by four or five men,
who always attend the female trumpeters
Tor that purppfe.

The people here have a violent tafte for
pfalm-finging. There are a confiderablc
number of men and boys, who have this
for their only profeffion. They are engaged

Vol. !• C c . by

386 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

by fbme families to officiate two or three
times a week in the morning, before the
mafter and miftrefs of the family get out of
bed.

When any perfon in tolerable circum-
fiances dies, a band of thefe fweet fingers
aflemble in the ftreets before the houfe,
and chant an hour every day to the corpfe,
till it is interred. The fame band accom-
panies the funeral, finging hymns all the
tiray.

Funerals are conduced with an uncom-
mon degree of folemnity in this town : —
A man clothed in a black cloak, and car-
rying a crucifix, at the end of 9, long pole,
leads the proceflion: — A great number of
hired mourners in the fame drefs> and each
with a lemon in his hand, march after
him: — Then come the fingers^ followed
by the corpfe in a hearfe; and lafily, the
relations io mourning coaches.

The

MANI^ERS IN FRA^fCE, &c. 387

' The crucifix is carried in this manner at
all funerals, whetheif the deceafed has died
a Roman Catholid, a Lutheran, of a Cal-
vinift. That this cuftom fhould be fol-
lowed by the two latter, furprifed me a
good deal. 1 fhould have imagined that
the Calvinifts in particular, whatever they
did with the lemons, v*^ould never have
been able to digeft the crucifix.

There is a very confiderablel number of
Calvinifts in this place; it is generally
thought they are tlie rnoft induftrious.
They unqueftonably arc the richeft part
of the inhabitants. This may be partly
owing to a circumft'ance that fome of them
confider as a hardfhip their being* ex-
cluded from any fhare in the government
of the city. — Many of the Cal vinift fami-
lies are defcendants of French Proteftants^,
who left their country at the revocation of
the edi£t of Nantz.

Cc a ' There

388 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

There are fomc villages near Frankfort
confiding entirely of French refugees ; who,
deferting their country ^at the fame timei
have fettled here in a clufter* Their de-
fcendents fpeak French in their common
converfation, and retain many of their ori-
ginal cuftoms to this hour.

Two or three families now living at
Frankfort are of Eogliih origin. Their
predeceifors fled firft to Holland^ during
the perfecutions in the reign of Mary, and
being afterwards driven out of that country
by the cruelty of the Duke of Alva, they
at length found an afylum for themfclves,
and their po(lerity» in this free imperial
city.

The number of Jews in Frankfort is
prodigious, conHdering one difmal incon*
venience they are fubjeSed to, being
oblige(l to live all together in a fingle ftreet
built up at one end : — There is a large gate
at the other, which is regularly fhut at a

certain

MaNKERS In FkANCfi, &c. 389

certain hour of the night, after which no
Jews dare appear in the ftreets; but the
whole herd muft remain cooped and
crowded together, like fo many black cat--
tie, till morning. As this ftreet is nar-
row, the room allotted for each family
fmall, and as the children of Ifrael were
never remarkable for their cleanlinefs^ and
always noted for breeding, the Jews* quar-
ter, you will believe, is not the fweeteft
part of the town. I fcarce think they could
have been worfe lodged in the land of
Egypt.

They have feveral times made offer of
confiderable fums to the magiftrates of
Frankfort for liberty to build or purchafe
another ftreet for their accommodation;
but all fuch propofals have hitherto been
rejeded.

The Jews in Frankfort are obliged to
fetch water when a fire happens in any
part of the city; and the magiftrates, in re*

C c 3 turut

390 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

turn, permit them to choofe judges out of
their own body for deciding difputes among
themfelves ; but if either party refufes to
fubmit to this, an appeal is open to the
magiftrates.

They muft unqueftionably enjoy fon^e
great adviintages by the trade they carry
on, to compenfate for fuch inconyeniencieiEf.
During the day-time they are allowed the
liberty of walking all over the town; a
privilege which they improve with equal
iifliduity and addrefs. They attack you in
the ftreet, ply at the gate of your lodgings^
and even glide into your apartments, offer-
ing to fupply you with every commodity
you can have occafion for : And ' if you
happen to pafs by the entrance of their
ftreet, they intreat your cuiftam with the
. violence and vociferation of fo many
Thames watermen.

I was twice at their fynagogiie. There

is nothing magnificent in their wqril^ip;

2 but

•4 •

Manners in france, &c. 391

but much apparent zeal and fervour. I
faw one, of iheir moft important rites per-
formed on two children. It was impoffible
not to feel compaffion for the poor infants,
thus cruelly initiated into a community,
who had formerly the misfortune of being
defpifed by the Heathens, and now are
Qsecrated by all pious Chriftians.

I ♦

Cc4

392 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

LETTER XLVII.

Frankfort on the Maine*

VOU will be furprifed at our remaining

fo long at a place where there is^no

court, and few of thofe entertainments

which allure and retain travellers. The

■

truth is, the Duke of Hamilton feems fond
of this place; and as for my own part, I
have formed an acquaintance with fome
very worthy people here, v/hofe friendfliip
I fliall take every occafion to cultivate.

Society here is divided into Noblefle and
the Bourgeois. The firft confifts of fome
noble families from various parts of Ger-
many, who have chofen Frankfort for their
refidence, and a few original citizens of
Frankfort, but who have now obtained the
rank of nobility. The citizens who con-

ncGt

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 393

neft themfelves with flrangers, have made
their fortunes by commerce, which fome of
them ftill follow.

There is a public aQembly fbr the nobi-
lity once a week^ at which they drink tea,
converfe, or play at cards from fix to ten.
On the other nights, the fame company
meet alternately at each other's houfes^ and
pafs the evening in the fame manner. None
of the Bourgeois families are invited to thefe
parties ; but they have affemblies of the fame
kind among themfelves, and often entertain
their friends, and the ftrangers with whom
they are acquainted, in a very hofpitable
manner at their tables. The noblemen
who refide in Frankfort, and the nobility of
all degrees, and of every nation, who acci-
dentally pafs through it, cheerfully accept of
thefe invitations to dine with the citizens, but
none of the German ladies of quality conde-
fcend fo far. While their fathers, hufbands,
and brothers, are entertained at a Bourgeois

table,

^ VIEW Of SOCIETY ANd

table» they chufe rather to dine at home hf
themfel ves ; and they certainly judge wifely^
if they prefer a fpare diet to good cheer.

The diftindlion of ranks iai obif rved in
Germany^ with all the fcrupuIou8 precifioci
that a matter of that importance deferves*
There is a public concert in this place fup<^
ported by fubfcription. One would imagine
that the fubfcribers would take their feats as
they entered the room, that thofe who came
earlieil would have their chcMce.—- *No fuch
matter.— The two firft rows are kept for the
ladies of quality, and the wives and dangh^
ters of the citizens muft be contented to. fic
behind J let them come at what hour, and
pay what money they pleafe.— After all,
this is not fo bad as in an affembly of no-
bility, where commons are not permitted
to fit, even in the lobby, whatever pried
they may have paid for their feat in par-
liament.

Since

MANNERS IN I^RANCE, &c, 395

Since we arrived, the theatre has beea
opened for the winter, by a troop of Ger-
man comedians. I was there the firft night $
previous to the play, there was a kind of
allegorical prologue, intended as a complin-
ment to the magiftrates of Frankfort. This
was performed by Juftice^ Wifdom^ , and
Plenfyy each of whom appeared in perfon,

with the ufual attributes. The laft was very
properly perfonated by a large fat woman^
big with child. As to the two former, I
hope, for the fake of the good people of
Frankfort, that they are better reprefented in
the town- council, than they were on the
flage. This prologue was concluded by a
long harangue, pronounced by the plumped
Apollo, I dare venture to fay, that ever ap-
peared in the heavens above, or on the earth
beneath.

After this the play began, which was a
German tranflation of the Englifh play of
George Barnwell, with confiderable altera-
tions;

♦ »

396 VIEW OF SOCIE^rV AUt)

tions. Barnwell is reprefented as an impru-
dent young man ; but he does not murder
his uncle> as in the Englifli play ; or com-
mit any grofs crime j the German tranflator,
therefore, inftead of hanging, only marries
him at the end of the piece.

Moft of the plays reprefented on the Ger-
man ftage, aretranflations froqnL the Engli(h
or French ; for Germany, fo fertile in wri-
ters in divinity, jurifprudence, medicine,
chymiftry, and other parts of natural philo-
fophy, has produced few poets till of late.

Jam nova progenies coelo demittitur alto*,

and the German mufe is now admired all
over Europe. Her beauties are felt and ap-
plauded hymen of genius, even through the
medium of a tranflation, which is a flrong
proof of her original energy. It muft, how*
ever, be a great difcouragement to German
poetry in general, and to the dramatic in
particular, that the French language prevails

* Now a new progeny from heaven defcend.

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 397

in all the courts, and that French plays are
reprefented there in preference to German.

The native language of the country is
treated like a vulgar and provincial dialed
while the French is cultivated as the only
proper language for people of fafliion.—
Children of the firft families are inftruded
in French, before they acquire their mother-
tongue, and pains are taken to keep them
ignorant of this, that it may not hurt their
pronunciation of the other. I ha^ve met with
people who confidered it as an accompli (h*
ment to be unable to exprefs themfelves in
the language of their country, and who
have pretended to be more ignorant, in this
particular, than they were in reality,

I have been aflured by many, who under-
Hand the German language well, that it is
nervous, copious, moft cxpreffive, and ca-
pable of all the graces of poetry. The truth
of this appears by the works of feveral late
writers, who have endeavoured to check this

unnatural

398 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

unnatural prejudice in their countrymen,
and to refiore the language of their anceftors
to its native honours. — But what are the
efforts of good fenfe^ tafte> and geniuSf in
oppofition to fafhion, and the influence of
courts ?

Among the winter amufements of this
p1ace> traineau parties may be reckoned.
Thefe can take place in the time of froft
only, and when ther£ is a confidera6Iequan«-
tity of fnow upon the ground. I had an
opportunity of feeing a very fplendid enter-
tainment of this kind lately, which was
given by fome young gentlemen to an equal
number of ladies.

A traineau is a machine in the fhape of a
horfe, lion, fwan ; or in that of a griffin,
unicorn, or fome other fanciful form, with-
out wheels \ but made below like a fledge^
for theconveniency of Aiding over the fnow*.
Some are gilded, and otherwife ornamented
according to the whim of the proprietor. — i

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 399

A pole ftands up from one fide, to which aa
^nfign or flag is faftened, which waves over
the heads of thofe placed on the machina
The lady, wrapped in furj fits before, and
the gentleman ftands behind 00 a board
made for that purpofe*

The whole is drawn by two horfes, which
^re either co^du£l:ed by a poflillion, or driven
by the gentleman.— ^The horfes are gaudily
ornamented, and have bells hanging fronts
the trappings which cover them.

This party confifted of about thirty
traineaus^ each attended by two or three
ffervants on horfeback with flambeaux j for
thi? amufement was taken when it began to*
grow dark.— One traineau took the lead ;—
the reft followed at a convenient diftance in
a line, and drove for two or three hours
through the principal ftreets and fquares of
Frankfort.— The horfes go at a brife trot or
canter ; the motion of the traineau is eaCy
and agreeable^; the bells, enfigns> and:

torches.

400 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

torches, make a very gay and ihowy ap^
pearance, which feemed to be much reliflied ^
by the parties immediately concerned/ and
admired by the fpeda tors.

A few days after this exhibition, as*
we were preparing to fet out for Hanau
in a traineauy Mr. Stanley, brother to Lord
Stanley, arrived at the inn. Though he had
travelled for two days and nights, with-
out having been in bed, he was fo little
fatigued, that he went along with us. Ha-
nau is fome leagues diftant from Frankfort.
We had a full proof of the fmooth move-
ment o^ the traineau, which, in the time
of froft, and when there is a proper quan*
tity of fnow on the ground, is certainly
the mod delightful way of travelling that
can poiTibly be imagined.

Hanau is the refidence of the Hereditary

Prince of Heffe Caffel. As we entered the
town we met the Pribcefs, who is fifter-in-
Ikw to the King of Denmark. She, with

fome

-AIANNEHS IN FRANCE, &c. 401

. fome of the ladies of the court» ^as taking
the air ^lib in a traineau.

Befidie? jfee trjQops of Sanag, two regi-
. mente of fjanpyerianp are thcuc 9X prefent. ^
. The Jieceditjiry JPwqoc is not oa the heft
terms with his father. He lives <here> how-
ever, in a ftate of independency, poflefled
of the revenues of this country, which is
guaranteed to him by the Kings of Britain,
Denmark, and Pruflia: but there is no in-
tercourfe between this little court and that
of Heffe CaffeK

After dinner we returned to Frankfort.
The Duke prevailed with Mr. Stanley to re-
main a longer time at Frankfort than he had
intended. He is a fenfible young man of fpi-*
rit and ambition. His grandfather, the old
Earl of Derby) endeavours to feducehim into
holy orders, promifinghim a living of ijoool.
a year, which is in the gift of the family.
This you will acknowledge to be a tempta-
tion which few younger brothers could with-

Vox.. L D d fiand.

402 VIEW OP SOCIETY Al^D

fiand. Nature^ however^ feems to hate
dellined this young gentleman for another
line in life. My own opinion is^ he would
rather have the command of a troop of dra-
goons, than be promoted to the See o£
Canterbury.

^AKNERg IN FRANCE^ Ice. 4113

1 £ i* t j^ R XLvlii.

Frankfort.

C OMfe of the nobility who refide in this
city i' take every opportunity of pointing
cut the eiTential difference that there is, and
the diflin^ons that ought tobe made^ be-
tween their families and thofe of the Bour-
geois; who, though they have) by com--
mercei or fome profeflion equally ignoble,

attained great wealth, which enables them,

■

to live in a fiyle of magnificence unbecom-*
ing their rank ; yet their noble neighbours
infinuate, that they always retain a vulga-
rity of fentiment and manners, unknown to
thofe whofe blood has flowed pmre through
feveral generations^ unmixed with that
puddle which flagnates in : the veins of
plebeians*

D d 2 The

404 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

The Duke of Hamilton does not feem to
have ftudied natural philofophy with accu-»
racy fufficient to enable him to obferve this
diftindion. He mingles in the focieties of
the citizens^ with as much eafe and alaerity,

as in thofe of the nobility ; dining with the
one^ and drinking coffee with the other, in
the moft impartial ihanner ; aad tietweeit
the two^ he contrives to amufe Hmfelf
tolerably welL

The two families with which we are in
the greateft degree of intimacy, are thofe of
Monf. de Barkhaufe, and Monf. P. Gpgie.
The former ia a principal peribnin the ma-
giftracy, a man of learning and worth. His
lady is c^ a noble family in the dukedom

* <

of Brunfwickt a woman of admirable good
&nle and many accompliffaments. She ia
Well acquainted with Englifli and Trench
literature. The French language ihe fpeaks

like a native, and though fhe cannot con-

# •

Tcrfe m Eoglilb withcmt difficulty, ue un-
6 tferftandft

MANNERS IN FRANCE, ice. 405

^erftands tnd reli&es.the works of fome of
our beft authors*

Mr. Gogle has travelled over the greateft
part of Europe, and is equally acquainted
ivith men and l^ooks. He has made a plen*
tiful fortune by commerce, and lives in a
very agreeable and hofpitable manner.

In thefe two houfes we occafiondly meet
^th the beft company of both the clafTes of
fociety in this place^ and in one or other,
Vfhen there is no public affembly, vre gene-
rally paifs the afternoon."— *The former part
of the.df^ (a thaw having lately diflblved
the fn^) we often pafs in jaunts to the en-
virons of this place> which are very beau-
itiful.

At tbfi Duke of Hamilton and I weve
riding (me day aloag the bafnks of the
i^aine,' near the villa^ of Hebci which is
inibe tecritoiies of the Ekdlior of Mentz»
iwe DUbr^ved a buildingi which feemed to be
the refidence of (bme prince; or biihop at

D d J leaft-

4o6 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

leaft. We ^ere filrprifed we never ha4
heard it fpoken of, as it had a more tn^gni^
6cent appearance tban any modern huUd*
ing we had fipen fincq our arrivs^l in Gcr-
many. * We rode up, and upon entering it,
foupd that the apartments within, though
not laid out in the bed tafte, feemed tqf
correfpond, in point of expencei with th<:
external appearance. *. ; • t r

We were informed by the workmen, who
were employed in finiihing thefe apan-
'mcnts, that this palacebelonged to a to-
bacconiftin Frankfort, where heffill kept
ihop, and had accumulated a prodigious
fortune by making and felling fnuff. ^

• • • •

Near to the principal houfe, there is
another great building, intended for a work--
houfe, in wlii(th tobkcco is- to bef-manu-
fadured, with many apartments* fqr the
workmen, and vaulted cellars, in whi<^ the
various kinds of fnuflF are x6 be kept nioift,
tUl fent for iqlafid fale to Franl^Ofrt, or
^hipped on the Maine for foreigq markets.

5 - Th^

MANNERS IN FRANC4 &c. 407

The owner informed us, therfe were tio^
z€dj three hundred rooms iq both build-»
ingSi and the greater number of thefe be-
longed to the dwelling*houfe. We did not
chufe to puzzle the man by difficult quef-
tions, and therefore refrained from enquir-*
ing, what ufe he intended to make of fuch
an amazing number of rooms, which feem*
ed rather contrived as barracks for two or
three thoufand foldiers, thaa any other
purpofe.

On our return to town, we were informed
that this perfon, who is not a native of
Frankfort, though he has been many years
eftabliflied there, had appHed to the magi,*
firates for liberty to purchafe a certain fpot
of ground, on which he propofed to build a
dwelling-houfe, &c. which cannot be done
by any but citizens, without the confent of
the council. This being refqfed, he bought
a little piece of land in the territory of
4VIenjtz, immediately beyond that of Franks

{Qr\f an4 oo the banks of the Maine ; and

P d 4 being;

4o8 VIEW OF SOCriETY AND'

being higbtf piqued by the refufal he had
met ^ith from the nia^iftrates, he had
reared a building greatly larger and more
extenfive than was lieceiTary, or than he at
fiffl had intended, in the full perfuafion that
the remorfe of the magiftrates would be in
proportion to the fize of this fabric*

The tobacconift has already expended
fifty thoufand pounds on this temple of
vengeance, and his wrath againft the ma-
giftrates feems to be yet unappeafed-^fot
he (till lavHhfts his Aoriey with a rancour
againft thcfe unfbrturiitfe men, that is very
unbecoming a Chriftian. The inhftbitints
of Frankfort, while they acknbWledge the
imprudence of the magiftrateSj 4o not ap-
plaud thfe i^rifdom bf thfeir ahfagdttifti in
whole brain they affert there miift bfc foihe
apartmefttii as empty as any in the vaft
ftrufture he is building;

Another day his Grace and I rode to
Bergeni a fmalWillage which has beed Ven*
dered eminent by the attempt ioiade- thcro

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &e. 409.

by Print e FercKnand on the French armjf
iH the year 1759.

We were accompanied by the Meffrs. de
Leffcner, two gentlemen, now retired from
' the fervice, and living at Frankfort, who
had been in the aaion,one a Captain in the
Hanoverian army, the other of the fame
rank in the French.

During the winter of that memorable
year, you may remember that the French,
with more policy than jufticC) had feized
upon this neutral city, and eflabliflied their
head* quarters here. This was attended by
great advantages, fecuring to them the courfc
of the Maine and Upper Rhine, by which
they received fupplies from Strafbourg, and
all the intermediate cities*

Prince Ferdinand having formed the de-
figri of driving them from this advantage-
ous fituation, before they could be rein-
forcedj fuddenly aflembled his army, which
Wis cantoned about Munfter^ and after three

days

4101 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND;

days of forced marches, came in fight of the
French army, at that time commanded by
the Duke deBroglio, who, having received
intelligence of the Prince's fcheme) had
made a very judicious difpofition.

On the afternoon of the 1 3th of April, the
Prince began his attack on the right wing of
the French army, which occupied the vil-
lage of Bergen.— This was renewed with
great vivagity three feveral times. The
Prince of Ifembourg, and about 150Q of
the Allies, fell in the adion, 'which was
prolonged till the evening; Prince Ferdi-
nand then determining to draw off his
troops, made fuch a difpofition as perfuaded
the enemy He intended a general attack next
morning — and by this means he accom-
plifhed his retreat in the night, without
being haraffed by the French-

I have heard officers of great merit affert,
that " nothing could be more judicioufly
planned and executed, than this enterprife ;
the' only one of importance, however, in

wl\icU

MANNERS JN FINANCE, ^c. 41^

which that great General failed during the
whole war.

By this misfortune the allied army were
reduced to great diflBculties,and the progrefs
of the French, with thf continued retreat
of the Allies, fpread fuch an alarm over the
Eledorate of Hanover, that many indivi-
duals fent their moft valuable efFeds toStade,
from whence they might, be conveyed to
England.— The affairs of the Allies were
.fodn after re-eftabliflied by the decifive vic-
tory of Minden, which raifed the military
charaAer of Prince Ferdinand higher than
ever j though oflScers of penetration, who
were at both adions, are flill of opinion»
that his talents were to the full as confpicu-
ous at Bergen, where he was repulfed, as
at the glorious field of Minden, by whith
Hanover and Brunfwick were preferved,
find the French obliged to abandon almofl:
9\l Weftphalia.

iftt "VIEW Of SOCIETY ANO

LETTER XLIX:-

Frankfort.

T keturried a feW days iince from Darm*^
iladt, having a^compadi^ the Duke of
Hatnilton oh a vifit Which h^ toade td that
feourt.

*!rhe reigning Prince of Hefle tDarinftadt

^ ■ ' »

not being there, tve were diredted to pa^ our

firft vifit to the Prihcefs Maximilian, his -

aimt. — She invited us the fame evening to

play at cards and Tup with her. — l^'herc

were about ten people at table. — ^The Pl-ih-

ccis was ^ay, affable, and talkative. — ^tlm

Duke coi!ifeffed\ he nevet had pafltd an

evening fo agreeably with ah old woman

in his life.

^MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c; 41^

Next oLorQiog w« went to the parade,
which is »» <*i€(ft of grwit ^tterjtipn lit thia
pWe. The Prince hfts « nii^fl: eothmfiaftic
paffioo fo!f xBilitary maoosavres and evolu*
iioofi.<-*^riUiiig and e;f(erdfipg his Ibldiert
ace his >ch«ef amuifeme0tS9 aad almgft hip
fole employment. That he may enjof this
in all kinds of weather^ and at every fca-
fon of the year, he has built a rQOJpa fuffi-
ciently capacious to admit 1500 men, tp '
perform their exercife in it all togeth^er.

This room, is accommodated widi fxxteea
iloi^es, J9y wbicfa it may be kepCat 4he^xa<9:
degrees of temperature wbidti iuks his
HigoeTs's conftkution.— Qn the morning
that we iwere prefent, Uiere was only the or-
dinary guard, coniifling of thrae hundred
men, who having performed iheir exercifes,
and marched for an hour up and dowin this
fpacious Gymnafium, were divided into
parties and detached to their refpe^ive .polls«^

The Darmftadft ioldiers are tall, tolerably
cbtfaod, a^d aboisie all things remarkably

well

4t4 VIEW OF SOCIETY ANd

well powdered. They go through thcif
manoeuvres with that dexterity Which may
be expeded 6f itien Who are continually
employed in the fame adion, under the
eye of their prince, who is an admirable
judge, and fevere critic in this part of tbe
military art*

There is no regular fortification round
this town; but a very high ftdne-wallf
which is not intended to prevent an enemy
from entering, being by no means adequate
to fuch a purpofe ; but merely defighed to
hinder the garrifon from defertingj to which
they are exceedingly inclined ; thefe poor
men taking no delight in the warlike amufe-

ments which conftitute the fupreme joy of
their fovereign.

Centinels are placed at fmall diftances all
round the wall, who are obliged to be ex-
ceedingly alert. One foldicr gives the words
all is well in German^ to his neighbour on
the right, who immediately calls the fame
to the ceotinel beyond him, and fo it goes

round

MANNERS IN PRANCE, &c. 415

round till the firft foldicr receives the
words from the left) which he tranfmits to
the right as formerly, and fo the call cir*
culates^ without any intermiflion^ through
the whole night.

Every other part of garrifon duty is perr
formed with equal exaiSinefs, and all ne-
glects as feverely punilhed as if an enemy
were at the gates.

The men are feldom more than two
nights ou| of three in bed. This, with the
attention requifite to keep their clothes
and accoutrements clean, is very hard duty,
efpecially at prefcnt, when the froft is un*
commonly keen, and the ground covered
with fnow.

There is a fmall body of cavalry at
Darmftadt juft now. They are dreffed id
buff coats, and magnificently accoutred.—^
Thefe are the horfe-guards of the Prince-
Few as theyare, I never faw fo many men
'■ ' . • • ^

^logether of fuch a height in my life, none

of them being under fix Englifh feet three

inches

4t6 VIEVT OP SOCIETY AND

inches high, and feveral of thetn jConf24^r-
abljr above that enorxnous ilature.

The Prince of Hcfle Dar naftadt formeiif

; kept a greater number of troops : At p^e-

fent his whole army does not exceed &%c

.thoufaod men. B^t ^as the^cpnduS; of
princes, howcv,er judicious ^t nj^ jbe;, jlej-

4lom pafles vnoenfuredt th|&rp ^r^ fi^^pl^
who blame him for entertaining ^ven this
number. They declare, that this prin^ce^s
finances, being in very great diforder, ca,n*
not fupport this eftabliihment ; ^^hich,
though fipall, may be counted high, con-
fidermg the e;ctent of his dominion^. They
jnfift alfo upon the lofs^ which agricuhure
and manufa<Aures muft fuftain, by Ijiaymj^
the (loutefl; men taken away from thcfe
neceflary employments^ and their ilren^th
exhaufted in uCelefs parade. For thefe rigid
cenfors h^vc ^tj^e a.0uraQ<;e .to ^0*ei;tj that^aa
jn:my of ,fiy€ thouf^cicl Vieoj though bur-
i^enfoine :to the ^ountryi is jQC(t fufEcient to

MANNERS IN FRANCE, fcc 417

defend it ; that the number is by far too
% great for amufement, and infinitely too
fmall for any t&anner of ufe.

The fame day, we dined with the Prin-
cefs Maximilian, and in the afternoon were
prefented to Prince George's family. He
is brother to the reigning Prince. He
happened to be indifpofed ; but his Princefs
received the Duke with the utmoft polite-
nefs.

Their two youngeft fons and three
daughters were at fupper. The former
are ftill very young; the latter are welU
looking) remarkably accompliihcd» and do
much credit to the great pains their mother
has bellowed on their education.

Next morning we were invited to break-
faft) by the Baron Riedefal, at a pleafant
country-hoi;ife he has near Darmftadt.— •
His Grace went with him, in a carriage of
a very particular conftru(aion. The Baron

VoL.I, Ee fat

4i8 VIEW OF SOCIETY AND

fat on a low feat next the horfes, and drove;
the Duke in a higher place behind him.
Each of thefe is made for one perfon only;
but behind all, there was a wooden feat, in
the fliape of a little horfe, on which twp
fervants were mounted. The ufijal pofting-
chaifes in this country hold fij? perfons with
eafe; and people even of the firft rank
generally have two or three fervants in the
chaife with them. In point of oeconomy^
thefe carriages are well imagined; and, in
the time of froft, not inconvenient ; for
here travellers take fpecial care to fortify
themfelves againft cold by cloaks lined with
fur. But when it rains hard, two of
the company at leaft muft be drenched ; for
the German chaifes are never intirely co*
vered above.

I went with Count CuUemberg in his
coach. We pafled the forenoon very agree-
ably at this houfe, which feems to be ad-?
vantageoufly fltuated; but in its prefeiit
6 / fnowy

MANNERS IN FRANCE, &c. 419

fnowy drefs, one can no more judge of the
natural complexion of the country, than
of that of an aftrefs new-painted for the
ftage.

We dined with Prince George, who was
fufficiently recovered to be at table. He is
a handfome man^ of a foldier-like appear-
ance, and has all the eafe and opennefs of
the military character.

His fecond fon, who had been abfent for
i(bme weeks, arrived while we were at table.
He is a fihe young man, about eighteen
years of age. It was pleafing to obferve
the fatisfadion which this fmall incident
idifFufed over the faqes of father, mother,
^nd the whole family, which formed a
groupe worthy the pencil of Greufe.

Do not fufpe^ that I am prejudiced in
favour of this family, merely becaufe they
belong to a prince.-r— -An appearance of
domeilic happinefs is always agreeable,

whether

4W VIEW OF SOCIETY, &c.

whether we find it in a palace or a cottage ;
and the fame fymptoms of good humour,
though they would not have furprifed me
fo much) would have delighted me equally
in tl^e family of a peafaqt.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME,

I '■-/-

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Full text of "A view of society and manners in France, Switzerland, and Germany: : with anecdotes relating to some eminent characters."

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